In Due Time
by Quinn.Windsor
Summary: I sigh and reach out, running my hand down his cheeks. I feel his stubble, and he closes his eyes at the contact. "You really don't know how amazing you are, do you?" I ask, and he opens his eyes. "No, I don't. Would you care to tell me?" I smile, and I know he's right. Everything will be okay in due time. "In due time, Tobias. In due time." FINAL TITLE CHANGE. First fanfic.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Tris

After David's bullets hit me and I released the memory serum, I fall to the ground. The edges of my vision are darkening rapidly, and my head thumps to the ground.  
>I raise it, however, when I see my mother walk around a corner.<br>"Beatrice", she says, and smiles at me. "I'm so proud of you." She reaches toward me and I shake my head. "No. I'm not ready yet. I need to go back to Tobias." My mother looks at me, and tilts her head. Without another word, she disappears into thin air.  
>Tears begin to leak down my cheeks as I realize what I just did, but then my consciousness slips away and I lapse into a coma.<p>

All I can see is black. I'm not sitting, or laying down, or floating or standing. I'm just... There. In the darkness. This darkness seems impenetrable, no matter how hard I try. I stop to listen, and I hear a constant low drone that I think might be voices. I need to get out of here, I think to myself. It's then that I realize I have no idea how long I've been here.  
>Has it been days, weeks? Months? I also realize that I can move. Again, it isn't floating,<br>or running, or anything. It's just.. movement. Somehow, I get a sense that up is where I need to go, although there really is no direction in this strange place. I force myself to go upward, inch by inch, because I just know that at the top of this chasm, Tobias is waiting for me. 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Tobias

I'm sitting in the waiting room in the hospital wing of the compound with my head in my hands, tears flowing freely down my face. After Cara told me and Christina that Tris had died, I just came and sat here. At first I didn't cry. I couldn't really do anything. I was just numb. Then, without warning, I cried. And cried, and cried, and cried. I thought about how Tris made me who I am,  
>how absolutely and incredibly perfect she was, how happy she made me. I thought about how we were planning a life together, and how I felt when she kissed me.<br>Most of all, I thought about how Tris, of all the fucking people on this planet and in this stupid compound, did NOT deserve to die. And that just made me cry more. And now, I'm ready to give up completely. Life without Tris simply cannot happen. Just as I'm getting up to leave, a doctor bursts through the ER doors. I recognize him, but I can't put a name to his face. "Are you Tobias Eaton?" The doctor asks, a strange look on his face.  
>"Yeah." I answer, my voice sounding empty and hollow. I don't sound like me. "I... How to put this?.. As we were stitching Beatrice's wou-"<br>"Tris." I automatically answer, breaking inside all over again. "My bad, Mr. Eaton. As I was saying... While we stitching the wounds and readying Tris for transport to the autopsy room, my fingers brushed over neck. And, well...  
>There was a pulse. Beatrice is alive, but incredibly unstable. I suggest you come give her the support she needs."<br>I pause. Without thinking about what I'm doing, I grab the doctor by his shirt and lift him into the air. "Are you sure?" I growl into his face, my nose inches from his.  
>"Yes, Mr. Eaton. I assure you Beatrice is alive", pants the doctor. I can see that he's close to pissing his pants.<br>"I swear to God, if this is some sick, twisted fucking joke, I will destroy you." I release him and stride through the swinging doors to the ward.

I sit down on a chair across from Tris's bed, and if I look closely, I can see her chest rise and fall when she breathes. Her heart rate is so slow it could almost be nonexistent. I walk over to her limp form, and grab her hand. "Beatrice, I don't know if you can hear me in there," I begin, choking on the last word. "But, if you can.. wake up. Please, Tris. I know you're in there somewhere.  
>I need you to wake up. I love you. I cannot be without out you. Please, wake up."<br>I repeat the last sentence as a mantra, begging the love of my life to awaken from wherever she is. Eventually, I fall asleep waiting for her to wake.

1 WEEK LATER

I stand over Tris, watching her angelic form as she fights the hardest battle she'll ever have to fight. This week has been the hardest, and longest, of my life to date. I've slept maybe sixteen hours, and I've eaten maybe a pound of food. I've spent nearly all my time beside Tris, begging her to wake up. I've probably cried out at least ten gallons of tears. This is a miracle. I know she can make it through this, but I still have doubts. What if she never wakes up, and spends the rest of her life wherever she's stuck?  
>No, Tobias, I think to myself. That won't happen. I look at my watch, and see that the time is 10:23 PM. I realize that everyone in the hospital is asleep, and so I can't leave. Wordlessly, and almost hopelessly, I start to get ready to spend another sleepless night watching over my love.<br> 


	3. Chapter 3

Hey guys. How are you liking it so far? Let me know in a review ;). No, but seriously. I need to know how you guys are liking it. I'll post chapter 4 after a review or two, but until then you guys are gonna have to wait. (by the way, chapter 4 is the best so far. It's pretty mushy and yeah.) Anyways, here's chapter 3. Enjoy!

Chapter 3

Tris

I have no idea how long I've been swimming up. That's what it feels like, now. Different compared to when I first awoke here. Every movement is like swimming.  
>I'm beginning to think of giving up. Is there even and end to this place? Tris. Shut up, I think to myself. Tobias is up there. Now quit complaining, and wake up. I stop for a second. I listen, and still hear the drone, although it's fainter than before, which scares me. I try my hardest to tune into it. "Tris, please w... up. I love you. T... ease wake up. I... you." I realize it's Tobias, begging me to wake up. His voice fades in and out, almost like a radio.<br>With a last burst of effort, I shoot upwards, screaming Tobias' name. And I think that is what gives me the chance to wake up. The fact that he is there, begging me to wake up because he can't bear my death. I scream Tobias' name as I soar upwards, and a pinprick of white appears in what seems to be the centre of this abyss.  
>As I continue to scream his name, and flyu upwards, the light grows larger and larger. I stop right before it, and look down. I see another light, and I know it's extremely far away. Not today, I think, and I swim through the light above me.<p>

Tobias

"Please wake up, Tris. I love you. Tris, wake up. Please. I love you." I've been repeating it ever since 8:30 AM, and it's now 3:45 PM. I'm slowly moving my thumb in circles around her palm, and I'm just about to give up when her ring finger twitches.  
>I freeze. "...Tris?" I ask her. I know her finger wouldn't move of it's own accord, which means she's in there. "Tris. Tris. TRIS!" I yell, and I keep saying her name until her eyes flutter open. I stop everything I'm doing and look at her. At first, she doesn't seem to recognize me, but then her eyes find mine and she grips my hand weakly.<br>"Tobias." she whispers hoarsely. Tears are already falling, but these are tears of joy. "Yes, baby, it's me. I'm here. You're awake." I smile the biggest smile of my life.  
>"I sure am," she says and grins a bit. Her eyes never leave mine, and it seems like an eternity before I speak again.<br>"Tris, I need to go get a doctor, okay? They need to know you're awake. You have to stay right here. Don't go anywhere... Promise me." The look in her eyes knows that I'm asking her not to fall back into a coma, and she looks more determined than I've ever seen anybody look before.  
>"I'm not going anywhere, Tobias." She says, and she attempts to point at the door but she's too weak to move at all. She smiles at me, and I drop to my knees. Ecstasy is flowing through me, a happiness the likes of which I've never felt before. Tears of joy are still streaming, but the flow is starting to die down. "Go." She tells me. I chuckle, my first laugh in over a week. "Still bossy, are we?" I ask her playfully. She doesn't answer, just looks at me with love and compassion in her eyes. Wordlessly, I turn on my heel and sprint out the door. "DOCTOR!" I yell, running around wildly. "DOOOOOCCCTOOOOOR!" Tris's doctor comes skidding around a corner, and stops at the look of pure joy on my face. "She's awake, isn't she?" he asks and smiles. I just nod, my throat too thick with emotion to speak. The doctor passes me, and at the entrance to Tris's room, he beckons to me. "Come on," he says. "You're the one who woke her up. You have absolutely every right to be with her right now." I follow him through the door, and just the sight of Tris fills my chest with warmth. She already looks stronger, but still exhausted. "Hello, Beatrice," says the doctor as he pulls up a chair next to her bed. I stand on the other side, my hand on her shoulder. "My name is Dr. Arnwell. I've been your caretaker for the past week and a bit." So, that's his name. I realize I haven't thought to ask him in the past week, and feel a little shameful.<br>Tris shifts her eyes, which haven't left mine since I entered the room, to his face. She smiles at him, and she justlooks so fragile that it hurts me a bit,  
>but I know she'll get better. "Thank you," she says, and I can tell she means it. "Without you, I'd be.. I don't know where I'd be. Gone. You brought me back, doc. I owe you." At this, Dr. Arnwell shake shis head. "No," he says, smiling to himseflf. "I may have taken care of you, but Mr. Eaton here-"<br>"Tobias," I tell him warmly, and smile.  
>"Well.. Tobias here, he's the one who brought you back. He sat here for a week straight and coaxed you awake. Thank him, not me." He smiles again, at Tris and I, and stands up to leave. "Well, Tris, all your monitors are reading that you're fine, just extremely tired. I'll leave you two alone for a bit, but you need to get some rest. No funny business, either!" He winks at Tobias, and then exits the room. I sit in the chair Dr. Arnwell just vacated and look into Tris's eyes. Before I can say the three words I've been meaning to say since she woke up, Tris speaks. "I love you, Tobias," she whispers. I realize that it's difficult for her to talk, but I can't bring myself to tell her to stop because I honestly thought I'd never hear her speak again. "I want you to know something.." She looks me directly in the eye, and all I can see there is her love for me, burning brightly. "I came back for you." And in this moment, my heart just bursts with love. "I made the choice to stay alive. I remember it. I don't remember the time of my coma, but I remember right before." She looks at me with her eyebrows furrowed and a slight frown on her face. "Why haven't you said anything yet?"<br>I snap out of it, realizing I've been staring at her the whole time she's been talking. "Sorry, love. I'm just... Speechless with joy. I thought I was going to lose you. The last week, my life had no meaning. None. I almost ended it, until Dr. Arnwell informed me you were alive." My voice breaks on the last word, and I don't know why I'm crying, but I am. I guess it's just hitting me how close I came to losing her. "Shh, honey.. It's okay. I'm here now, and that's all that matters." She reaches out her arms. "Come here, you blubbering idiot." I oblige, and she pulls my lips to hers, although it takes a lot out of her. The moment we kiss, my heart bursts, and I try to put as much love as I possibly, or even impossibly can into this kiss. I can't believe I almost had to live without this. After we finish the kiss, I say what I meant to say fifteen minutes ago, and it comes out sloppy. "IloveyouTris," I say in one breath, and she just laughs at me. "Well, I guess that's better than nothing," she says and grins at me. I look down at her, and I realize how skinny and fragile she's become in the last week. "I love you too, Tobias." Her eyelids droop, and then snap open again, and I can tell she's fighting to stay awake. "You need to get some rest, darling. I'm gonna go get some supper, and then I'll come back. Okay?" "Okay.. love you.." she says and drifts off. I kiss her forehead, repeat the sentiment back to her, and just marvel at the fact that she's really here. Eventually, I turn and leave the room, letting my angel rest.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Tris

After Tobias leaves to go eat, the smile slides off of my face. Of course, I'm happy to be awake and alive, and even happier to see Tobias after what felt like eternity, but I hate myself. At leats he believed you were happy, I think bitterly to myself. I close my eyes, and a tear seeps out the corner of my eye.  
>I honestly can't believe what I did to him. I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for putting him through that, and I know it's going to affect our relationship. I'm stupid. That's the fact. I just wanted to play the hero again, and save Caleb's life, and make my parents proud of me even though they're dead and I'm not. Fantastic job, Tris. I need to tell Tobias how I feel. I need to let him know the truth, and I don't even know if he'll ever want to speak to me again after. I almost destroyed him, and for what? Nothing. I hate me. I've never felt this way about anybody before, especially myself. I mean, I've never particularly enjoyed my own company, but this...<br>this is full blown emnity. I'm just a selfish bitch. After I'm out of here, I'll talk to Tobias, but for now, I'm just gonna sleep. And with that, my eyelids droop and I pass into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Tobias

After I eat, in the cafeteria, I make my way back to Tris's room. As I turn the corner, I see Christina sitting there, silent sobs shaking her body. I realize that she has no idea Tris survived. I walk toward her, and kneel down beside her. "I need to show you something." She looks at me with a puzzled look on her face, and I pull her into a hug. I still haven't told her what she needs to know, though.  
>Without a word, I push open the door and lead Christina into Tris's room. "Look." I point to Tris, laying in bed, her chest gently rising falling at a rate that lets me know she's deep in sleep. Christina slowly approaches Tris with a look of awe on her face, like she doesn't believe what she sees. "That's how I looked too," I say, and smile at Chris. "But, it's real. Tris made it through. She was in a coma for a week, but the doctors didn't let anybody know. They wanted her to be alone, but they let me stay." I look at Chris. "Hey, are you okay?" I ask, putting an arm around her shoulders. Chris nods, and swallows,<br>tears of joy running down her cheeks. "I didn't think it was possible.. I knew she was strong, but I had no idea how strong." Chris says to me, still not taking her eyes off of Tris' beautiful face. "But,  
>she made it. I don't think you understand how lucky you are, Four." She turns to me. "I know that you're the one who brought her back, and I love you for it." All of a sudden, she hugs me. "Thank you," she whispers. Chris lets me loose. "Well, I'll leave you two alone. But when she wakes up, tell her to expect me at least twice a day." "Oh, I think she already knows." I smirk, and Chris hugs me again before she leaves. Now it's just me and a sleeping Tris in the room. I sit in the chair that hasn't moved since Tris woke up. Carefully, I grab her hand, but she doesn't even stir. "Tris.." I say. I swallow, but this needs to be said. "I.. almost lost you. I.. the pain I felt when Cara told me you died was so immense.. It was like I was a pool at the bottom of a waterfall, and the pain just kept pouring into me. I cannot live without you, Tris. You are my entire life. You're my sun, my world revolves around you. You complete me. You've made me who I am." I pause, to make sure she isn't secretly awake, but she seems to be sound asleep. "You know I was about to leave Dauntless before I met you. But as soon as I set my eyes on you, I found a reason to stay. I made it my goal to make you mine, even though I didn't come anywhere near deserving you. And now, you are. You're what I live for. I have no parents, no friends, just you, Tris. And that's all I want. You changed me from Four into Tobias. And I'll never, ever forget that. Thank you. You are perfect, and I love you." I finish, and the corners of Tris's mouth lift, letting me know she was listening. "I love you, Tobias." She opens her eyes. "I really do. I am so deeply in love with you. Before I met you, I didn't really know what love is. But now I do. You showed me. You taught me." She grabs my hand. "You love me. I don't know why. I'm just, well, average. I don't huge boobs, or a nice ass, or anyt-" I shut her up with a kiss.<br>"Tris, I don't think you get it. You're perfect to me. You are the most incrediblt beautiful girl in the world. But that isn't even the whole reason I love you." I grab both of her small hands in mine, and a shock goes through me. This is what I live for.  
>I put our hands right over her heart, lean in and kiss her. "I love you for who, and what, you are. You are brave, intelligent and selfless. You're loving, compassion-<br>ate, and caring. You help me be me. And that is why I love you." I pull away, and see tears swimming in her eyes. "Babe? Are you okay?" Tris just nods, and pulls me to her. "Can you sleep in the hospital bed with me?.." she asks, biting her lip and blushing. "It's been way too long since we did that." I nod, happy to be with her at all.

Tris

After, we just lay there, listening to each other's heartbeats, stealing the occasional kiss and touch. I inhale the smell of him, and it makes me happy, for now. After a few hours, with me napping on and off, I look at the clock, and see that it's 11:07 PM. We're cuddling as close as humanly possible, my head resting against his chest and his arms around my stomach. "Tobias?" I ask in a small voice. I'm nervous to ask this question, although to him it may seem trivial. "Yes, my love?" he answers. He doesn't seem worried about me anymore, which is good, I guess. "Um.. If you could have one wish, what would it be?" I turn my head to look at him. He looks confused. "You know, I honestly have no idea," he says. My heart sinks a little. "That's quite the question. I could ask for a mansion, or money. Or parents," he adds, and his smile slips a little. My heart is still sinking. He doesn't really want me. "But, you know what, Tris?" he asks, and I see a gleam in his eye. "What?" I ask, sounding defeated. I wasn't expecting this answer at all. "I think." He sits up. "That I." He grabs my face with both of his hands. "Have absolutely..." His lips brush mine. "Everything I could ever want and need, right in front of my face." He kisses me, deeply and sooooo passionately, but not sexually. I think he knows I'm not recovered enough for anything like that yet. My face turns bright red, and I can't stop smiling. "I love you, Tobias. More than anything." I sit up as much as I can, so I can kiss his cheek. When I do, I feel the stubble I realize has been growing for over a week.  
>I look at him and make a face. "Go shave, you big love bear." As soon as that comes out, I realize how dumb it sounds and hide my face in my shirt. Tobias just laughs. I can feel it in his chest.<br>"For you, my love." He gets off the bed, and proceeds to bow to me. He turns on his heel and walks towards the door. "I'll be back in an hour, baby. I love you." he says while walking out. When he reaches the door, he turns and blows me a kiss. He tips his imaginary hat, and leaves.  
>I sigh. This is gonna be harder than I thought. Within a few minutes, I drift off to sleep. <p>


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Tris

The last couple weeks have almost sucked. Almost. They would have been terrible without Tobias, but he makes it okay. He sits with me all day, every day, only leaving my side to eat or use the bathroom. He's so special.  
>I still haven't told him how I feel. I want us to be alone, and I want to be out of this goddamn place, when I do. Today is my 16th day here since I woke up, which is my 23rd day since I came here. That's almost a month. I groan internally. Maybe today'll be my lucky day. It's about 1 PM, and Tobias and I are playing I Spy, when Dr. Arnwell comes in smiling. "Afternoon, Tris. Tobias." He walks over to stand beside us, still wearing a smile. "Is everything alright, doctor?" I ask him, a little worried. "Oh yes, everything's fine." He says, pacing with his hands behind his back. "I'm healthy, my family is healthy. My job is fantastic. Oh, and you get to go home,<br>Tris." At this he turns to face me and Tobias. I squeal with joy and leap out of bed, but almost fall. My legs are still a little weak, especially the right one. One of David's bullets went deep into my right thigh. Tobias puts a hand on my shoulder to steady me. I turn to look at him, and he has the widest smile on his face. He kisses my forehead, and starts to pack the little possessions we have into a duffle bag. Dr. Arnwell takes him aside and speaks to him too quietly for me to hear.  
>Tobias nods a few times, and they come back towards me. I stare at them both with a frown on my face. "Talking about me, are you?" I ask, still frowning. Tobias wraps his arms around me. "Well, yes, Tris." says Dr. Arnwell. "As you are, or were until a few minutes ago, my top priority patient, I feel it's natural to engage in a friendly convers-<br>ation about you once in a while. Especially with those who care about you most." I turn to him, about to apologize, and see that he's laughing. I relax a bit. "You scared me there, doc," I tell him. I thought he was gonna yell at me. Oops. After the doctor finishes laughing, his face turns serious again. "In all honesty, Tris, I was giving Tobias here instructions on to take care of you until you return to your normal strength. You can't overexert yourself, and you need to eat properly." I open my mouth to argue, and he holds up a hand. "No. No ifs, ands or buts. You do what Tobias says, otherwise I keep you here until I see fit to release you." I close my mouth slowly. "That's what I thought. Now, get out of here." He swats at me and Tobias with a folder, and we scurry out, laughing.

Tobias

"Where are even going?" Tris asks me as we wander around the compound. She seems confused, and I realize she's forgotten how to get around the compound. I glance down at her, and just smile at the look on her face.  
>"Nowhere in particular," I reply. "I'm just trying to give you a feel for the place." Hopefully we won't be here long, I think to myself. This is one thing Tris and I need to talk about. We both want to leave this hellhole, but we have no idea where we want to go. I'm thinking about going back to Chicago and living in Dauntless, since I already have an apartment there. The question is, though, does Tris want to?<br>"Are you hungry?" I ask her, and we start to make our way toward the hotel room that is our temporary home. She probably thinks we're going to the cafeteria. We'll go there eventually, but not now.  
>Tris nods enthusiastically. I laugh. "Thought so. I'll make you something when we get where we're going." I look down at her again, and she looks even more confused. She also looks a tad annoyed. "Are you gonna tell me where we're going yet?" She asks, and I feel like she should know the answer to that. I chuckle a little.<br>"Nope." At this, she opens her mouth as if to argue, but I speak up before she can. "But, I know you'll love it." She crosses her arms, and sticks out her lower lip.  
>I laugh at her, because frankly, she's adorable when she's mad like this, and she swats my arm and makes a raspberry at me.<p>

After a few more minutes of walking, we turn a corner and arrive at the hotel room door. Tris stops dead, staring at it. "Are you alright, hun?" I ask her, rubbing her back with my hand. She doesn't reply, just walks to the door and opens it. This is the room Tris and I first made love in, the night before the release of the memory serum and Tris's near death experience. I asked David (who Tris doesn't know still lives, and was affected the most by the memory serum) if Tris and I could have this room as our temporary residence, and he agreed right away. I thought it would be a fitting place for her and I to stay. Tris stops in the living room, and turns to me with tears in her eyes. I rush to her and grab her hands. "Hey, hey, why are you crying, Tris? What's wrong?" Tris just stares at the ground, not meeting my eyes. I lift her face with my hand, but not forcibly, just enough to make her look at me. "I need you to talk to me, Tris. We can't be like this anymore. We need to be open, and honest." I look into her eyes, and I flinch at what I see.  
>All I can see is hate, but not at me. Hate at her. Tris just shakes her head and sits on the couch we first made love on. I sit besider her, and put my knees on my elbows. She still won't look at me. Looking out the window, Tris takes a deep breath. "I.. almost destroyed you." Now she looks at me, and I can see the pain she's feeling. I still don't understand why,<br>though. "What?.. I... don't understand, Tris." She looks at me again, really looks at me, her eyes boring deep into mine. "I almost died, and it killed you. I almost ruined you. And for what?" On the last syllable, she breaks into tears and puts her head in her hands. I get up and go lock the room door. This would be a bad time for visitors. I go sit beside her again and put an arm around her shoulders.  
>"Tris, you succeeded. You released the memory serum, and our plan went great." Except for you almost dying, I think to myself. "No, Four, you don't understand." She covers her mouth with her hand, and almost cries again. "Oh my God, Tobias. I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry." She looks at me, and I know she really didn't mean to.<br>I close my eyes and take a deep breath, forcing myself not to get mad at her. "It's okay, Tris... Just... try not to anymore, okay?" She nods, and we sit in an awkward silence for a minute or two. "Do you want to know why I went in there, Tobias?" she says quietly. I can tell she doesn't want to say it. "Yes. I need to know." "You're gonna hate me. I know it." She stifles another sob, and I pull her into my arms. "No, Tris. Don't ever think or say that. I'm in love with you. I couldn't hate you." I kiss her forehead gently. "Well, if you say so..."  
>"I do."<br>Tris takes a deep breath. "Boy, this is gonna sound bad..." she says to herself. Then, she straightens up and looks at me. "I'm not gonna lie to you, Tobias." Uh oh. That can't be good. "When Caleb and I were breaking into the Weapons Lab, I had him at gunpoint," she says, and I wonder why. She answers my question in the next sentence. "Because, two guards came around the corner, and I had to do something to stop them from shooting us. I told Caleb to give me the backpack, and at first he refused." She closes her eyes, and a single tear leaks out of her left eye. "I made him give it to me." Now she looks me in the eye. "Because I am selfish. I wanted to be a hero." I stiffen at this. She wanted to be a fucking hero?! As I open my mouth, she stops me. "Tobias. Please let me finish before you yell at me."  
>I nod, my jaw clenched, and Tris continues. "That wasn't the main reason, though. Or even the second most important reason. I wanted to save Caleb's life, Tobias." This increases my anger about tenfold, and it takes everything I have not to yell at her. How could she be so stupid?<br>"I wanted to save his life. Because he's my brother, and I love him. I also hate him, for what he did to me, but my love for him overpowers that hate. And I think that's something I need to work on. How to hate."  
>I nod again, still unable to say anything. "And now, the last reason. I wanted to make my parents proud, Tobias. Even though they're dead, and it's fucking stupid of me to want pride from dead people, I wamted it. So I got it, or I thought I did. I walked through the death serum, and thought I was being heroic and selfless and brave, only to almost die and break the man I love more than anything." I sit in silence, staring ahead. I don't say anything for a long time. "...Tobias?.." she asks, and I turn my head a fraction to look at her. "Are... are you gonna say anything?.." I snap my head around, and she flinches. Calm down, Tobias. "Why should I?" I say quietly. "There's not much to say, except that what you did was stupid!" I'm yelling now, and I don't care. "It was idiotic, it was braindead,<br>it was fucking RIDICULOUS!" Tris is just staring at me, tears silently streaming down her face. "Tris, do you have any IDEA how I felt when I thought you were dead?  
>Any at all?" Slowly, she shakes her head. "Didn't think so. Tris, I wanted to kill myself." Now she's full on crying, but still hasn't taken her eyes off me. I don't stop to think how deeply that might've hurt her. "What you did was heroic, and brave, like you wanted it to be. But, it was so selfish, Trish. I never thought that of you. You didn't stop to think about me, or Christina, or even Caleb. Or Zoe, or Zeke, or Uriah. Or anybody. Only yourself." Now I am at a loss for words. I'm done,<br>but I'm still angry. "Tobias, I.. this won't mean anything to you. But I'm sorry." The look on her face is pleading me to forgive her, but I don't know if I can. I don't know anything, right now. "I know." "Are you ever going to forgive me?"  
>I shrug. And Tris flinches yet again. "Are we still together?"<br>I nod. She takes a deep breath. "Well, I guess I'll give you your space. Let me know when you want to talk. I love you, Tobias. Please, don't forget that."  
>"I won't." She nods. I get up off the couch, and walk to one of the rooms within this hotel room. I lock the door behind me. <p>


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Tris

Oh, god. I sink to floor and pull my knees to my chest. A sob escapes me, and another, and another, and after a while I am bawling my eyes out. He's so mad, I think to myself.  
>He hates me, and this is the end of us. What have I done?<br>After a few hours of crying and sniffling, I stand up and make my way over to Tobias' room. I knock three times gently. "Tobias?" I say, not expecting an answer. I'm surprised when I hear a muffled "What?".  
>"Um.." I'm really at a loss for words. "Look... I know you're mad and you hate me. But we need to talk about this. We need each other, Tobias. Please let me in."<br>I wait for a minute. No answer. Two minutes. Still no answer. Just as I count a full 180 seconds, and I'm about to leave, I hear the door unlock. I turn the knob and push open the door. The only light in the room is a lamp on a plain wooden nightstand in the corner. There is a large, but also plain, queen-sized bed in the middle, and across from the foot of the bed is a full bathroom. Tobias is laying in the bed on his side, facing away from me. His body shakes every once in a while, and I know he's trying not to let me hear him cry. I carefully crawl into the bed with him, not knowing how to act around him when he's like this. Nobody has ever been this way around me,  
>especially not Tobias. "Can I touch you?" I ask him. He nods his head, although I still can't see his face. I scoot closer to him and wrap one arm around his waist. He lifts his body up to let me put both my arms around him, and then lays back down.<br>"Please, say something, Tobias. Anything. Just... talk to me." I beg him.  
>"Hi." That's all he says. Not in a joking manner. In an I'm-still-pissed-at-you manner. "Hello..." I reply, and he doesn't answer. I unwrap my arms, and sit up.<br>"Tobias. Look at me. Now." He doesn't. I sigh. "Please, baby?" I ask him, and he turns. I flinch at the sight of his face, and he chuckles darkly. "I'm that ugly, huh?" he asks. His face is red, blotchy and tearstained. His eyes are bloodshot from rubbing them and crying, and his hair is all over the place. He's a mess, all because of me. "No, baby. No. You're perfect to me." I put my arms around him again.  
>Tobias snorts, and that hurts deep, but I need to take what he throws at me. I deserve it, after all. "Obviously not perfect enough. You almost died, not thinking about me. I must be pretty damn perfect." He ends the sentence with a sour look on his face. "Tobias, I'm sorry, okay? I really am. I don't want you to hate me. Tell me what I can do to make us better." I'm on my knees, looking him in the eye now. "Tris, it's gonna take time. I don't think you understand how deeply hurt I am." "I do, baby... I promise. I'll give you all the time you need. Just... stay with me, okay?" That's the one thing I'm afraid of. Him leaving me. I think if I were to go through my fear landscape now, the fear of losing Tobias would replace the fear of intimacy with Tobias. Which is okay. Until he does leave.<br>"Tris, I'm not going to leave you, ever. I promised that, and that is one promise I never go back on." He looks at me, and I can still see the hurt in his eyes, but I also see the love he has for me. I believe that he will never leave me.  
>I nod. "Okay. I love you, you know." He lays back down beside me. "I know, hun. I love you too." After that, he says nothing and drifts off to sleep in a quarter of an hour. I don't fall asleep until the sun begins to rise.<p>

Tobias

I wake up to Tris snoring lightly beside me. I look her, and it hurts. Bad. But I still see her perfect form, her beautiful skin. The way her lips slightly part when she sleeps, and I realize that despite her flaws, she really is perfect. To me, Tris is the definition of perfect. Who she is, is perfect. And yeah, she has flaws, but who doesn't? Definitely not me. Those flaws make Tris who she is, and I am in love with who she is. I sit on the edge of the bed, and my stomach growls. I realize I haven't eaten since lunch yesterday, and neither has Tris. Despite myself, however, I walk to the shower instead of the kitchen. I take off my clothes, and toss them in a laundry hamper. As I turn on the shower and wait for the water to warm up, I look at myself in the mirror. I see the tattoos on my back. The coldness of my eyes. The curves and planes of my muscles. But to me, I am imperfect. I am Four right now. I'm only Tobias around Tris. And I need to get rid of Four.  
>I step into the shower, and it's steaming hot, but I really don't give a shit. Pain doesn't bother me. I lean against the wall of the shower.<br>What does bother me is a knock at the bathroom door. Great. "Tobias?" Tris asks, and knocks again. She seems agitated. "Yes?" I call, annoyed about her stopping my shower. "Um..." I can tell she's biting her lip right now, thinking of how to say what's on her mind. "I was uhm... just wondering if... I could join you?" At the end of her question, she sounds defeated and hopeless. I get out of the shower, and unlock the bathroom door. Tris walks in carefully. She's treading lightly around me. Literally. Like she thinks I'll explode again. "Tris, I'm not a landmine. Don't be scared to set me off. It won't happen." She sighs in relief, and she takes her clothes off. I notice that although she wants to be naked with me, she still attempts to hide herself with her arms. She's insecure.  
>I pull her into the shower and turn it on again. She yelps at how hot the water is, and I chuckle to myself as I turn up the cold water a bit. "Don't be a wuss, Stiff." I demand in my Four voice, but she knows I'm joking. Tris narrows her eyes at me, and lightly punches me in the cheek. I widen my eyes and touch the spot where she hit me, as if it's tender. "How dare you?" I ask her, and she puts her arms around me and snuggles into my chest. I pull her in tight, and breathe in her scent. Her hair smells like coconuts. I haven't noticed that until now. We wash each other's hair and bodies, and stand together for at least an hour before the hot water starts to run out. We get dressed, and walk together towards the kitchen. I start to make scrambled eggs, and Tris starts to butter and toast some bread. We do this without talking. There's still a bit of awkwardness between us. After we finish eating and clean up, Tris stands there, chewing her bottom lip. I sigh, and pull her to the couch. When she sits down, she blushes, and I know she's remembering our night together on this couch. I pull her close and kiss her forehead, and we lay quietly together for a while. Eventually, I feel the need to say something, but I don't know what. "I don't want it to be awkward anymore," I blurt out before I can stop myself. Tris turns to look at me.<br>"Well, that was quite blunt." She sits up and puts a serious look on her face. "Tobias... I love you. And I'm sorry for what I did to you. I'm sorry I was selfish. I just want us to be okay. I hate this awkwardness and tension between us. In fact, I can't stand it. I want it to stop. Please." I look at her and realize she's fighting off tears, and I start to feel bad for distancing myself from her. I sigh, and pull her close. "I'm sorry too," I mumble. All of a sudden, I want to cry, too. But I don't. "I need to tell you how I felt, and still feel." I say to her, and she nods. I take a deep breath.  
>"Last night, I felt like you didn't care." She opens her mouth, but I shoot her a look that says "let me finish". "I felt like you just.. blew it off when I told you I wanted to kill myself. I felt like you thought I was joking around. I felt hurt, and betrayed, and scared, and a thousand other things all at once. I just couldn't stand to watch you be hurt like that, so I left." I shrug. "I guess it's pretty hard to put into words. But, I'm not mad anymore. I promise." I hate lying to her. I'm gonna be mad for a long time, but I need her, and myself to a lesser extent, to be happy. Tris's whole face lights up at those words, and I feel a pang in my chest at her reaction to my lie. "You're not?" "Nope." I smile, and pull her into a bear hug. Tris is happy now, the happiest I've seen her since she woke up almost a month ago. I think she thought that when she told me what she did, I would leave her. She thought she'd be alone, and I know I could never put her through that. I lift her up and spin her around. "What do you say we go see the others?" Tris nods enthusiastically, and runs to the door. I sigh. Things are going to be tough for a while.<p>

**Hey, guys. How are you liking the story so far? yes, no, maybe so? I need to know one thing: Smut or no smut? (sex=smut). Do you guys wanna hear about Tris and Tobias doing the sex or no? Let me know in a PM or review! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Tris

I'm kind of nervous about going to see all my friends. I don't let Tobias know that, though. I have no idea what their reactions are going to be. Except Christina, I laugh to myself. She'll squeal and hug me like she does every other time she sees me. What about Peter, and Cara, and Uriah? And Caleb. I guess I'll find out. Tobias and I make our way toward the dormitories, where everyone was staying before we released the memory serum. When we reach the door, I stop. It finally hits me that everyone in this room has thought I was dead for the past month. Tobias smiles at me. "Let me go in first." I nod, and he pushes open the door and goes in. After it swings shut, I put my ear to it to listen. "Hey, guys," Tobias greets my friends, and all I hear is a low mumble as they reply. My death must have hurt them more than I thought. After a full 30 seconds of awkward silence, I hear Chris speak up. "So, why are you here?" she asks, and she doesn't sound like herself. She sounds... empty, and it breaks my heart to hear my best friend that way. I can picture the smile slowly forming on Tobias' face as he says "I brought someone to see you guys." There's a rather deafening silence at this statement, as though they're all confused. Tobias calls "Come on in," and I take a deep breath and push open the door.

When the door swings shut behind me, I'm greeted with absolute silence. I look around, and my friends are all staring at me as if I'm a ghost, which to them, I guess I am. I meet each of their eyes in turn, but Caleb I pass over. Peter has the same look as usual, bored and annoyed. Cara is curious. Caleb's face is unbelieving, but I don't let myself look into his eyes. When my gaze reaches Chris, she just smiles knowingly, and I knew Tobias must have told her. Peter is the first one to speak. "You're supposed to be dead, Stiff," he says as he walks up to me. Tobias straightens beside me, his whole body tense. "So, why aren't you?" Peter stops in front of me, close enough that I can feel his breath on my face. I have no idea what Peter is up to this time, but it can't be good. Just as Peter reaches out a hand to touch my face, as if to confirm my reality, Tobias speaks. "Don't. Touch. Her." He says through gritted teeth. Peter's hand stops. He turns to Tobias, and smirks. "I'm not gonna hurt her, or anything, Four. I promise."  
>Peter reaches out again and I step back. "I swear to God, if you so much as flick me, I will castrate you." Peter's eyes widen, and Tobias pushes him to the ground, eyes wild. I know that in this moment, he could kill Peter. Although I hate him, I don't want him to die. "Tob-Four. Don't." Tobias turns to look at me, giving me a look that says why-not-he-deserves-it, and I just shake my head. Peter takes this time to get to his feet and launch himself to the other side of the room. Cara is the next to approach me. She eyes me up and down, assessing me. That's definitely her Erudite traits coming out. The first thing she asks me isn't even how I feel, or really about me at all, which kind of bugs me, but I let it pass.<br>"So, like Peter asked. How is it that you're still alive?" She crosses her arms, expecting a full explanation that I can't give to her.  
>"I'm not sure. All I know is that after I got shot, I was in a coma. For a week." Tobias speaks up. "She died." He bows his head. "She had no pulse for about two hours after she was shot. I was in the waiting room when the doctor told me that she was alive but unstable. I think if you want a full explanation, Cara, go speak to Dr. Arnwell." Cara nods, and exits the room. Before she leaves, however, she turns to me and says,<br>"It's nice to have you back, Tris." She pulls open the door and leaves.  
>Tobias grabs my hand and pulls me to the couch Chris is sitting on. I sit down, and Tobias sits on my left, leaving me between the two of them. Chris just looks at me,<br>and without warning pulls me into a suffocating but warm bear hug. I wince a bit, as the other of David's bullets buried itself in my side, and she lets go at once.  
>"Oh my God, Tris. I'm so sorry." I just laugh and smile at her. "It's okay, girl. I'm fine. Just a bit weak and sore." Chris nods. "So, you knew the whole time, huh?"<br>I ask her. She laughs a bit, and replies. "Yeah, Tobias pulled me into your room while you were sleeping. I thought it was a joke at first, but no. The doctor told me that you were really alive, and I almost jumped for joy. Tobias and Dr. Arnwell both told me not to tell a soul, though, and I kept to my promise." At this I look at Tobias quizzically, but he just shakes his head, implying he'll explain later. "None of that matters anymore," he says, grabbing my face and kissing me. I blush and feel a shock run through my entire body at his touch. "What matters now is that you're here, safe, alive and well." "I second that." says Chris, and I roll my eyes at both of them. "I'm really not that important, guys." They both reply with death stares, and in unison say "You are to me." We all laugh about it, and talk for a few more minutes.  
>Eventually, Tobias and I leave and head back to our room. I know he wants to talk to me about something, but I don't know what.<p>

After we've eaten, and cleaned up, and done laundry, Tobias still hasn't said what's on his mind, which is starting to bother me. We're snuggling on the couch under a thick quilt when I look up at him.  
>"What's on your mind?" He looks down at me, and there's a smile on his face, but not a happy smile. A sad, knowing smile, which breaks my heart. What could be bothering him this much?<br>"What isn't?" he replies. "I have three things on my mind right now, two of which are about you and one of which is about both of us. Which would you like to hear first?"  
>I sigh. "Tobias, just talk to me. Communicate. Please. You can't keep everything shut up inside you. It's not good for you, or me, or our relationship." I glance at him, marvelling in his perfection. His eyes are a deep blue, but around the speckled around the iris are flecks of a blue so light it's almost white. His cheekbones are defined, giving his face an angled look. His lips are full, and all of a sudden I want him more than ever. I want to feel his hands on me, his lips. I want him, but I hold it in for now. Tobias looks at me, and gets this look on his face. The only time I've seen this look is the night we made love on this couch, and I know he's caught me. He picks me up in his arms, and I laugh as he tickles me. He carries me towards the shower, and stops before we go into the bathroom. He looks down at me in his arms, and kisses me so passionately. I want to give this man everything I am, every fibre of my being. "I promise, we'll talk after we shower, okay?" I nod, and pull him down to kiss me again. He kicks open the bathroom door, and I tangle my hands in his hair as he sets me down.<p>

Tobias

Tris and I undress, and I start to run the shower. Tris is standing, looking at herself in the mirror. I come up behind her, and wrap my arms around her waist,  
>nuzzling her neck. She looks so much happier when I'm with her. "You're beautiful," I tell her, and kiss down her back. She shivers with pleasure, and turns to me. "I'm really not, Tobias." She gestures at herself. "I'm practically nothing. I don't have huge boobs. I don't have a round ass. I'm beyond petitie; petite can be attractive. I'm scrawny, and tiny, and gross." She bites her lip, trying not to cry. She's been so emotional lately. I wrap my arms around her and pull her close.<br>"You're perfect to me, honey. You always have been, and always will be." "Tobias, you're seriously the most attractive guy on the face of the earth. You could have any girl you want, someone with curves and boobs and someone who knows what they're doing, but you chose me. Why? What makes me special?"  
>"You complete me. I know I've told you that before, but it honestly is true, Beatrice. Before we met, I felt like I was missing something inside of me. I wasn't happy, at all. But when you jumped, and I grabbed your hand, I felt something I'd never felt before. I'd never loved anyone, but I guess love at first sight really is true, because when I looked into your eyes after you hit that net, I fell in love instantly." I pull her gently toward the shower, and we get in.<p>

After soaping each other up and washing our hair, we stand in the shower, hugging each other and kissing. Now is the time to ask her one of the questions that has been nagging at me. "Tris?" I say, and she looks at me. "I... have something to ask you." She looks at me expectantly. I take a deep breath. "Um... I... We had sex." I blurt out. Instantly I blush. That was lame. Tris just laughs at me and hugs me. "Indeed we did," she says, and kisses my neck lightly. I moan a bit and she smirks at me sexily. "Uhm... how was it?" she stops kissing and looks at me. She stares into my eyes for what seems like ages, but in reality was probably only a minute. "It was... perfect." she kisses me. "Absolutely, incredibly perfect. And hey, I overcame one of my fears." I sigh in relief, but I still have one question. "Did I hurt you?" Tris looks me directly in the eyes. "It hurt a little bit. But, it's supposed to, Tobias. It hurt for maybe 5 minutes, and then it was.. incredible." She kisses me lightly. "Don't worry, baby. It was amazing." I sigh as a huge weight falls from my shoulders, and then she speaks again. "How was it for you?" I lift Tris in my arms so her face is level with mine. "Honestly?" I say, and she takes this the wrong way. She looks down, as if she's about to cry, but she nods. "Be completely honest, Tobias. You can tell me if I suck." I look at her with genuine surprise. She thinks she's bad? I laugh to myself.  
>"Tris, making love with you was the best thing I've ever done, up until this point in time. Not just physically, but emotionally. I wanted to prove my love for you, and that was the best way I could think of." Tris smiles, and even though she's happy, a tear leaks down her cheek. "I love you, Tobias." I manage to get out two of the four words I was planning to say before Tris pushes me against the wall of the shower, and jumps into my arms. She kisses me harder than she's ever kissed me before. As I kiss her neck, she moans in my ear. "Mmmmm.. I want you, Tobias." I pull back and look her dead in the eyes. I touch my forehead to hers, and I tell her "I want you, too, baby." The look in her eyes at this moment is pure lust, and she says "I'm all yours." I kiss her hard, and pull her close to me, ready to show her I love her. <p>


	8. Chapter 8

Tris

I wake up to bright sunlight streaming through the windows. I groan and stretch, looking at the clock which reads 11:34 AM. I sit up, and look to my right. Tobias is out like a light. I study him, smiling the entire time. He mesmerizes me, the way he looks, the feel of his skin under my hands. The fact that he loves me. I can't seem to take my eyes off his chest as it rises and falls while he sleeps. His light snore is the cutest thing on the face of the Earth. The blankets are pulled up to his bellybutton, but under them I can see every curve and muscle of his luscious body. I love this man. More than I ever thought I could love somebody. Tobias makes me feel special, and loved, and even beautiful. I never thought anybody would be able to do that, but he has. I want to be with him forever. I can't lose him. I jump on his stomach, straddling him, fully aware that we are both naked. He wakes up with a jolt and rubs at his eyes. "UGGGGHHHH.. Tris?" he says groggily, blinking at me. "Yep." I say, and kiss him hard. He moans seductively, and I take the chance to dig my fingers into his ribs, tickling him. He bursts into laughter, and attempts to push me off. I laugh, and kiss him again, passionately. "Morning, sleepyhead." I say, and he smiles at me. He's not completely awake yet. "Morning, beautiful." I blush. Every time Tobias calls me something like baby, or darling, or sexy or beautiful, it makes me love him that much more. I don't know what I'd do without him. "How was your sleep?" I ask him. "Meh.. alright, I guess. I had a few nightmares, although I don't really remember." When he says this, his eyes stray away from mine,  
>letting me know that he's lying, but I don't push him about it. I sit up in bed. "Mine was perfect. I woke up to you." He sits up and kisses me, then runs a hand through his hair. "I suppose we should get up." I groan and pull him back down with me. "I wanna stay here with yoooouuuu." He kisses my cheek and says, "We'll be together forever." I smile at him, and get up to find us some clothes.<p>

After we eat breakfast and get ready, we just sit at the table. Tobias is reading a book, and I'm just staring at him like a puppy. "Tobias, I'm bored." He closes his book, and looks at me. "There's nothing to do here." "I agree." I have a question for him, but I'm afraid to ask it. Were his questions in the shower last night one of the things bothering him? "Tobias?" I ask in a small voice. "Hmmm?" he replies. I don't know how to ask what I need to know.  
>"What you asked me last night when we showered.. Was it one of the things bothering you?" Surprisingly, he nods. "Yeah, it was. You hadn't said anything about it, and I wondered if I didn't.. satisfy you. But I got my answer to that." He winks at me, but I can tell something's still bothering him. I reach across the table and grab his hand. "What are the other two?" Tobias walks across the room and stands by the window, staring out. Towards Chicago. He doesn't look at me when he says "I don't want to be here anymore."<br>My heart skips a beat. What does he mean?  
>"..Here?" I ask, not knowing what the answer is going to be. "Yeah, here. In this useless shithole of a compound. I want to leave, Tris." He looks at me, and I can see in his eyes how much he hates this place. He almost lost me here, and he can't handle staying here. "Well... I agree." I say, and he looks at me, surprised. "But, where can we go?" I honestly did not expect his response.<p>

"Chicago." He looks at me with hope in his eyes. What the fuck is he thinking? I can't help but get angry.  
>"Chicago. You want to go back. To the city." He nods, and he looks almost afraid of me. "Why?" He rubs at the back of his head, and says "I... well, I have an apartment there. We could live in Dauntless." I look at him like he's insane, which I'm beginning to think he is. It's then that I realize I have no idea what's happened in the city in the past month. "Tobias, I don't even know what's going on there. You haven't told me anything. My parents died there, I almost died there, and for all I know, when I walk through those gates I could be shot. So before I make a choice-" I growl at him, "give me some fucking information." I'm fuming now. I can't believe he wants to go back.<br>Tobias grabs my wrist. "I'm gonna tell you everything I know," he says. "So quit being like this. This isn't you, Tris. Calm down." I realize he's right, and I sink onto the couch. "The city is safe. Evelyn and Johanna made an agreement, and there are factions and everything is back to normal. Evelyn sent me a formal invitation telling me that you and I both are allowed into the city whenever we want. We're not outlawed, or banned. We can go back, and it'll be fine, Tris. Please."

Tobias

She looks at me. "I need to think about this. I don't think you get it, Tobias. All that place holds for me are bad memories. My parent's death. Caleb's betrayal. Getting my ass handed to me during initiation. I hate Chicago, Tobias. Nothing good lies in going there. So why should I?" I realize she's right, and she should never have to go back there. But depsit myself, and my "be all five factions or be none" outlook, I decide to be selfish in this moment. "Can't you do this.. for me?" I'm begging her now. I want to be rid of this place, this hellhole where my biggest fear, my worst nightmare, almost became reality. I have to leave. Tris drags her hands down her face and through her hair. "I don't know, Tobias. I don't. I need some time to think, okay?" with that she turns on her heel and locks herself in our bedroom. I fall to my knees, and I'm crying. I don't know why. All I know is that I can't stop.

"Hey. Come on, Tobias. It's me." I sniffle and look up through a haze of tears, and lay my eyes upon an angel. She's beautiful, her blonde hair framing her face. Her blue eyes delve into mine, reading me and comforting me. She's Tris.  
>She grabs my hand and attempts to pull me up, but my weight is too much for her. I'm a mess. I know that, although I can't see myself. Not that I want to. I just groan and get up. As soon as I stand, Tris pulls me into her. "Shh, baby. It's okay.<br>I'm here, and I love you." I hug her back, savoring this moment. I never want to let her go, ever. "I love you too, Tris," I manage to say between hiccups and sniffles. I never thought I'd let anyone see me like this, especially Tris. But, well, here I am.  
>"I know, baby. Now, let's get you cleaned up and into bed." I nod, and she leads me to the bathroom. I undress while Tris starts to pour a hot bath. When the tub is full, Tris walks to the door. "I'll be in the bedroom reading, love. If you need me, just call." "I need you now..." I mumble, but I know she didn't hear me. "Speak up, love." she says gently. I raise my head and look at her. "I need you now." Tris blushes and shuts the bathroom door. She walks towards me, and pulls me in to kiss her. Tris takes her clothes off, and my eyes travel up and down her body, taking in everything. She's perfect to me. Although she is very petite, every inch of her body is perfect. Her touch makes me melt, and her eyesShe's the only thing I'll ever want and need. She catches me looking, narrowing her eyes at me, and smacks the side of my head. "Don't look!" She grabs a towel and covers herself. I walk toward her and gently pull the towel out of her hands. "I hate to say this, but I'm never going to not look at you. You're... incredible. Now, can we bath?" I blush. I'd never blushed until I met Tris. It's kind of insane how much Tris has changed me. I'm not Four anymore. Thanks to my angel, I am Tobias, and I am proud. Tris nods, and together we get into the bath. We later a couple bath towels with soap and wash each other's bodies, exploring in a loving way. After we're all done washing, we just sit in the tub, relishing this time together. All of a sudden, Tris snaps her head toward me.<br>"What's wrong?" I ask her instantly, my mood swinging from content and happy to worried in a heartbeat. I realize that there's tears in Tris's eyes, and I hold her face in my hands gently. She speaks one word that sends my heart crashing with guilt.  
>"Uriah."<br>I lower my eyes, not able to say anything. In our whole month together, it never once crossed my mind that I should tell Tris about Uriah's death. She must have noticed he wasn't in the dorm, but it just clicked now.  
>"Where is he, Tobias?" she asks, and she's angry again. It seems all we've done lately is fight. "I..." How do I say this? "How much do you remember of the time before your coma?"<br>Tris looks at me, confused. "Everything." "So, you remember Uriah's injuries? How he was in the hospital, in a coma?" It's amazing that two of the most important things in my life were near death in the space of a month. Tris nods slowly, and I see the realization dawning on her face. I can't look at her right now. I can't handle the guilt I know is in her eyes. I stare at the roof instead. "He.. didn't make it through. The doctors told us that they were going to pull the plug, and I begged them to give me time to get his family here. When I went back to Chicago that night..." I swallow. Just thinking about that night is hard. "I visited Zeke and Uriah's mother. I told them what happened, and how it was my fault. They came with us, and were there whennthe doctors ended Uriah's life. As soon as the funeral was over, they went back. They didn't say a word to me, and they probably never will again. I don't blame them. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, Tris. It never crossed my mind. I've been reveling in you, and the fact that you're alive. I forgot about everything and everyone else in my life."  
>Tris is just looking at me. She slowly shakes her head, and tears are running down her face. She gets out of the tub and wraps herself in a towel. "We promised not to keep secrets from each other, Four." I flinch, and she sees it, but she doesn't seem to care. "We promised. You broke that promise in such a bad way. You hid from me the fact that one of my closest friends DIED. Why? Why couldn't you tell me? Do you trust me?" I've never seen Tris this angry before. Venom has infused her voice, and she conveys the fact that she can barely stand to look at me with her eyes. Every word she forces out is spit. "Of course I trust you. I... I didn't know how you'd react. I didn't want to hurt you. I felt like this was a secret that needed to be kept. I would've told you eventually." "Eventually?" she says, her voice quivering with anger and hurt. I don't know what's going to happen to us. "You should've told me when I woke up, Tobias. I thought I could trust you not to hold anything back from me. If you can't even tell me when my best friend dies, what else are you holding back? I feel like right now, in this moment, I don't even know you." That hurts. But what she says next devastates me, and also angers me beyond anything I've ever felt before. "To me, right now, you're just Four."<br>I snap. But I don't yell. Not yet.  
>"Do you have any idea how hard it is for me?" Tris shakes her head. "I know. So quit acting like you do." She nods, and I don't think she's ready for what comes next,<br>but once the words start, I can't stop them. "Tris, I was abused in every way possible by Marcus. Yeah, every way." As soon as I say this, her eyes widen and she realizes what I mean. I've never told anybody that Marcus... touched me. "Physically, verbally, mentally, and sexually. Luckily, that last one didn't leave any scars that you can see." Tris is sinking to the ground, and still I continue talking. I point to my temple. "The scars are in here the worst. What Marcus did to me made me virtually unable to communicate. He broke me. He broke my body, he broke my mind, he broke my spirit. I have so much trouble just even talking, but with you it's easy. It isn't my fucking fault I can't talk like a normal person. I don't know how, because nobody has ever been in my life to teach me, or be on the receiving end, of talking. I need to learn. I can't just change a part of me that was instilled in me through abuse, just because it ticks you off. I'm sorry I'm not perfect to you, I'm sorry I'm broken and only beginning to heal, which is all because of you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you some shit, but it's not because I don't trust you. You are the only person I trust. It was because I couldn't. I need you to help me, Tris. I will open up to you, I promise. I need you to help me along the way, though. Please." Tris is still on the ground, staring at me wordlessly. The look of pain in her eyes, pain directed at herself, is almost unbearable. She realizes now how bad what she said to me hurt, and she can't forgive herself. I forgive her. She didn't know. "Tris, I forgive you." Her only reply is a sob. A heart-breaking, anguished sob that conveys the pain she's feeling for hurting me, and the pain of everything that's happened to her in the last almost two years. Another sob wrenches itself free of her chest. And another, and another, each one slowly releasing a bit of the weight she carries on herself. The weight that is me. I get out of the tub and pull the plug. To me, that plug symbolizes everything that is hold us back from being completely happy and together. The barriers that are my damaged mind, and Tris's insecurities. All these things are going down the drain, and after they disappear, our relationship will be what it was meant to be. This brings a smile to my face, because I know that Tris and I will make it through this and be strong. I pick Tris's fragile form up in my arms, and she buries her head in my neck, still sobbing. It hurts me to see her this way, but I know that she needs to get every-  
>thing out, and so I let her cry. I hold her late into the night, until first she falls asleep, and then myself soon after.<p>

**Hey, guys. Let me know how you like this chapter. I'm sort of at a writers block right now. I know what I want to happen, but I don't know how to write it :/ I promise I'll figure it out soon, though. **


	9. Please Read

Hey, guys. Just a quick update.

I know it seems like this story is just gonna be an endless cycle of Tris and Tobias fighting, but let me assure you right now that it won't. I had a bit of a writers block for a few days, but I'm back up and running. A lot of things are going to be said in this chapter. There's not really a major event, but let me just say that things between Tris and Tobias take a turn for the better in this chapter.

The plot isn't finalized yet, but I expect this story to be at least 30 chapters long, which is a bare minimum. Expect quite a few more than that.

The next main event will be happening in chapter 10, which should be up sometime next week. I'd tell you, but that'd spoil the surprise ;)

So, please bear with me. The next few chapters will be quite eventful, and full of surprises and cliffhangers. I promise I won't disappoint you guys.

ALso, pleeeeeaaaaassseeee get those reviews in. Suggestions/constructive criticism would really help me right now. And help me name the story! I'll credit you and maybe even give you a hint of what's to come if I use your title.

Sincerely, Quinn Windsor

PS ALMOST 1500 VIEWS. Thank you guys soooo much. I thought I'd get like 30 or 40 views, not thousands. I'm glad you all like it. :D

PSS

I wanna get to know you guys! PM me and stuff like that.

SO yeah, that's all. Chapter 9 will be up tomorrow or Monday. Have a great night and rest of the weekend! 


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Tris

I wake up to a pounding headache. I groan and open my eyes. The light streaming through the window lets me know it's late morning, or possibly early afternoon. I sit up in me and Tobias' bed, and glance to my left. Tobias is sleeping soundly. He seems to peaceful when he sleeps, and that makes me smile. I could never be without him. I wouldn't let myself. As I'm watching him sleep, I see his eyebrows furrow. He must be having a bad dream. I want to comfort him, but for some reason I'm scared. "No.. Stop, Dad. Please. No! NOOOO!" He's yelling in his sleep now, and I'm crying. He's pushing something invisible to me away, and I know that something is Marcus. Tobias is crying in his sleep, and I shake him awake. I cradle him in my arms, soothing him. "Shh, baby. You're okay. It was just a dream. You're okay." Eventually, his cascade of tears slows to a dribble, and he's able to talk to me. "I'm sorry," he says softly. "You shouldn't have had to see that." I smile sadly to myself. Tobias is being selfless, as always. 'What on Earth are you apologizing for, Tobias? You did nothing wrong. You can't control what you dream." He sighs. "I know, but... I wish I could. I wish I could dream happy things, and push Marcus out of my mind forever. When I'm awake, I feel that I'm finally free of him, but he comes back to haunt me in my dreams." He almost cries again, but holds it in, all for me. I can't let him do this to himself. "Do you feel like telling me what your dream was about?" I ask him. He looks at me. "I guess I have to. This is something you need to know." Tobias takes a deep breath, and closes his eyes. I can't imagine the pain it causes him to retell his worst nightmares. "I was about 7 years old. I had just come home from school, and Evelyn was nowhere to be found. I was dreading coming home, but I didn't really have any other choice. I set down my backpack, and Marcus came around the corner. Well, more like stumbled. Even from down the hallway, I could smell the whiskey on him. 'Afternoon, boy.' he said, and made his way towards me. I shrunk against the wall, expecting him to hit me again, but he didn't. It couldn't have been worse." One tear leaks out of the corner of his eye, and he takes a breath again and shudders. "Baby, you don't have to tell me-"  
>"Yeah, I do, Tris. You need to know this." He opens his eyes and looks at me. "I just hope you don't find me different after." He closes his eyes again, and continues to tell me what I know now to be a memory, and not just a dream. "When Marcus finally reached me, he just stood there and looked at me. He was drunk out of his mind.<br>But I think he still knew what he was doing, and that's what makes it worse. 'Take off your jacket. It's hot in here." I oblige, not wanting to tick him off. After I hang my jacket on a hook, he smirks. 'While you're at it, why not your shirt, too?' Why would he want me to take my shirt off? I hesitated, and he screamed in my face.  
>'TAKE IT OFF, TOBIAS!' I ripped my shirt over my head, still confused. Marcus leers at me, and says 'I'll be right back. Don't you move an inch, or I'll tan your pretty little hide raw.' He turns around and lurches to the kitchen. He called me pretty. My heart sinks as I realize what he's doing. This is something I never dreamed would happen to me, or to anybody. As I turned around to open the door and leave, Marcus came back around the corner with his belt and... a chair? 'Just where in Hell do you think YOU'RE going, Tobias?' I shut the door, and lock it. I know I have to endure this, because it'll be over soon. 'Nowhere, sir.' 'Good.' He sets the chair right in front of me, and sits himself down on it. He leers at me again, expelling his nauseous breath. 'Now, since you're already halfway nude, you may as well strip right down, eh?' He chuckles himself, like he thinks he's the funniest man in the world. 'No.' He stops, and I instantly begin regretting what I said. Without warning, his belt whips out and lashes me across the cheek. That's what this scar is from." Tobias points to a thin white line, about two inches long, on his forehead.<br>I'd never noticed that scar before. "Tobias, I'm so sorry.. I never dreamed it was this bad. Please, stop hurting yourself by telling me this." I'm begging him. It kills me to see him like this.  
>"No. You wanted to know, and now I'm telling you. I'm sorry, Tris. But I need to get this out." I swallow and nod, and Tobias tells me the last segment of this sick,<br>twisted memory that resides in his mind. "After that, I oblige. I take the rest of my clothes off, and stand in front of him. The rest, as they say, is history." He smiles, a twisted grimace I've never seen on his face before, and I flinch. "Before you ask, no. He didn't rape me. I don't think he'd go that far. But, he touched me, and every time I shrank away, he'd hit me with the belt. Eventually I just gave up and let him do what he pleased. When he was done, I locked myself in the bathroom and showered for hours. After I came out, he beat me again. I thought maybe he was just drunk, and he'd never do it again. But, he did. He did maybe 10 times the whole time I lived with him. And now you know."  
>I open my mouth, but no sound comes out. I just made him tell me his deepest, darkest secret. I tear up, and he hugs me. "No, Tris, don't. It's okay. I needed to get that weight off my chest. I'm sorry if I hurt you." I shake my head. "No, Tobias. I'm sorry for making you say that out loud. I'm sorry I'm not like you. You're so selfless, and caring and just incredible. Despite what Marcus did to you, you're still an amazing man. You're perfect, never forget that. The only thing I find different about you now, is that you're so much stronger than I could even comprehend." He lets out a sigh of relief. "Thank God," he says. "I thought you'd think I was tainted, or gross, or something." I kiss him. "I'll never think that of you. I love you." "I know," he says. After that, we just lay there for a while, and a thought crosses my mind. "Tobias?" I say carefully, knowing I'm in dangerous waters. "Hmm?"<br>"Um.. I know it's hard for you to open up to me.." He sits up and looks into my eyes. I don't know what he's thinking. "But... I think that everything you're holding back, and even things I'm holding back, is a barrier between us. We'll keep arguing when you tell me things I don't know, or I tell you something I omitted accident-  
>ally, or even on purpose. I think we need to get everything out on the table. No more secrets." I look at him, waiting for an answer. A thousand emotions flicker across his face. I see anger, hurt, and mistrust. I see love, hate, and compassion. I see confusion, and so many more that I don't recognize. My heart skips a beat when Tobias nods.<p>

Tobias

My first reaction to Tris's suggestion is anger. Hot, intense anger. I'm angry that she wants me to spill my darkest secrets to her, a girl I barely know. I'm angry that she thinks it's going to be that angry for me. I'm angry about how insensitive she's being.  
>I flinch at my own thoughts. I may barely know Tris, but I know her better than anyone else. The same goes for her. Although Tris and I really just met not so long ago, we know each other better than anyone else, and it feels like we've been together for eternity. We are in tune with each other. We're meant to be.<br>My second instinct is to simply refuse her offer, and act like nothing happened. Which would result in us continuing the cycle I'm only just realizing is there. Some-  
>where, somehow, Tris and I immersed ourselves in this cycle of arguing, making up, acting like it didn't happen, and repeating. And Tris is right. It isn't healthy for me, or her, or our relationship, to keep doing this.<br>Also, it isn't healthy for me to keep all these secrets and emotions buried deep inside me, although I hate to admit it. I don't have access to a counsellor, or a journal, or anything I can pour my heart and soul into. Except Tris. And she, I realize, is the best option. This will be good for me. It will help me to be myself, something only Tris has made me able to do.  
>Since I don't really know how to respond to her request, I just nod. Her eyes widen. She must have thought I would get mad again, and refuse. I chuckle to myself dark-<br>ly. This is a perfect example of how well Tris and I really don't know each other.  
>That fact kills me. The fact that the girl- no, the woman- that I am in love with, the only thing I live for, barely knows me. And the fact that I barely know her. I look into Tris's eyes, searching for the same emotions I am feeling, and I see them. I see her pouring all her emotions, all of her love for me, her anger at me for hiding Uriah's death from her, her pain and anguish caused by her parent's death, her unrelenting fury directed at Caleb, into me. She wants to tell me all of these things, but I know how hard it is to find words to describe what she is feeling. I have felt these exact emotions since I was young. I reach for Tris's hand, and she laces her fingers through mine. Even this simple display of affection causes my heart to throb with love for Tris. I smile, and she blushes. Before I met Tris, I thought my capacity to love had disappeared completely. I felt like a machine, emotionless and wired a certain way, never changing. But as soon as I pulled the first jumper from the net, that changed. Her touch sent a shock through my entire body, penetrating deep into my soul, and I knew that I had to have her. It may have been selfish of me at the time, but sometimes, selfishness is necessary to make one happy. It certainly worked for me.<br>I lean across the six inches between us and gently press my lips to Tris', feeling hers part beneath mine. This is not a sexual kiss, or one filled with lust. I try to convey my love for her into this simple action, but it's impossible. Nothing in the universe could truly describe how I feel about her.  
>But I think it partially worked, because she smiles as we kiss, making me blush, which makes her smile even wider. "I love you, Tobias. No matter what. Always remember that." She hugs me around the waist and kisses my cheek. "I love you too, Tris." I kiss her forehead. Even though we're practically entwined, the space between us feels like too much, and I sigh. "What?" asks Tris, a worried look crossing her face. "Nothing," I respond, and she narrows her eyes at me. This is going to be harder than I thought.<br>I sigh again. "I just feel like we're never close enough, evne though we really can't be any closer." I close my eyes, thinking how ridiculous that sounds. I'm surpr-  
>ised when Tris nods enthusiastically."<br>"You know, I feel the same way. Even when we were making love-" Tris blushes at the memory, and I grin at her, "I felt like I wanted to touch your soul. I feel like...  
>I want to touch your soul." Instantly she covers her face with her hands. "Forget I said that. That was bad, and corny and cheesy and too lovey dovey and... ugh. Sorry Tobias." I shake my head at her, laughing quietly. "I agree."<br>She looks at me incredulously, like I grew an extra arm. "I'm glad," she says, and squeezes my hand. We sit there in silence for a few minutes, and eventually I realize she wants me to start. "What do you want me to start with?" I ask her, dreading the answer. "Uhm... I think we should start with smaller stuff, and gradually get to the big, important things." I blink. That was unexpected. I thought she would've wanted to know everything big right away. Another painful reminder of how little I really know about my girlfriend. I guess that means I should start with inconsequential facts, like my favourite flower or colour. But I just don't know what to say. I visibly struggle to find words,  
>until I think of a solution. "How about we ask each other questions?" I say, and she nods. "Good plan. I figured it'd be hard to just say stuff. What's your favourite color?" "Uhm, brown..." I say, hanging my head. She makes a face. "Brown? Why brown?"<br>I shrug. "I don't know. Why is anything anyone's favourite. Brown is warm, and homey, and comfortable. It doesn't signify anything, good or bad. It's regular. I love brown." "Makes sense, I guess. Your turn."  
>I think for a second. "What is your favourite... band?" "Uh, you're probably not gonna believe this, but... Sepultura."<br>Wow. I didn't realize she was into that kind of music. You learn something new every day. We go on like this for a few hours, learning every little fact about each other, from our favourite seasons to what we wanted to be when we were little, our favourite childhood memories. That was a hard one for me, but I managed to come up with a memory of Marcus and Evelyn pushing me on the swingset when I was around 4 years old.  
>Eventually, we run out of questions, and I look at Tris. "Well, now what?" I pretend to play stupid, knowing full well what's coming next. The big stuff.<br>"Now... now, we tell each other what really matters." She looks at me, and I see nothing but love in her eyes. "I'll start this time." Tris takes a deep breath. "I... miss Caleb, Tobias. I really do. I miss how he and I used to be, before the Choosing Ceremony, before he became Erudite and I became Dauntless, before he sold us to Jeanine. I want my brother back. I want to be able to playfully punch each other, and crack jokes, and reminisce about our childhood together. But everytime I look at him, I feel a surge of hatred. That hatred is so strong, but it battles with love. And I can't choose one or the other, so it's easier for me to just push him away from me." She bites her lip, trying not to cry, and I say quietly "Let it out, baby." She crawls into my arms, and the tears begin to flow. After a few minutes, they stop, and now it's my turn. What to say? I have a lot of secrets. I search for one that seems fitting, knowing that I'll have to go through all of them anyways, and say, "I love my parents."  
>Tris looks at me, and simply says, "I know."<br>Tears well up, but I force myself to explain why. "I remember being young. Really young, when I was just starting school. And Evelyn, Marcus, and I were a real family.  
>We went to the park, and cleaned the house together. My parents would hold hands, and laugh and smile, and it was genuine. I love that part of them, which I know is buried deep within them. But, I can't forgive them for making my life hell. I'll never be able to forgive Marcus for destroying me, or Evelyn for leaving me with him.<br>It seems to everyone that she had no choice, but she did. So, I guess we're alike. I find it easier to just avoid them as much as possible, and keep them out of my life." As soon as I finish, I feel like an enormous weight lifts off my chest, and the tears don't come. This is going to be good for me. Tris hugs me tight. "I'll always be here if you need me, love. Don't ever forget that." I nod, unable to speak. My love for her in this moment is immense, and I can't help but begin to cry.  
>"Hey, hey, what's wrong? Why are you crying?" She takes my head in her hands, and lays me in her lap, stroking my hair. I just laugh. "I'm not sad, Tris. I just... love you. A lot." Tris blushes, and bends down to kiss me. At this rate, we'll both have permanent blushes by the end of the night. It's Tris's turn to speak, and she talks about her parents. "I just miss them, Tobias. But it's not like Caleb, where I hate them, too. At first I was mad at them for leaving me, but after thinking about it, I realized that they were trying to show their love for me by dying for me. Sometimes it's hard to be without them by my side, encouraging me and giving me advice. And I think it'll be that way for the rest of my life. But, I know that as long as I have you here, and your shoulder to cry on, I'll be okay."<br>She smiles wanly, wiping up her tears. My turn again. I decide to tell her about why I left Abnegation, not only to get away from Marcus, but to be free. I tell Tris about turning down Max's offer of leade-r rship twice, and why. I tell her the reasons for going through my fear landscape over and over, and why I know my fears will never disappear.  
>Tris tells me about her fears, especially the intimacy. She tells me about how I was in her simulation. She talks about why she left Abnegation, and she explains her tattoos to me. She tells me about rough times in her life, like her uncle's passing. We both talk about Evelyn's funeral, and I talk about the first time I met her after I found out she was alive. Eventually, we are out of secrets. And I can't stop smiling. Tris and I have laid ourselves bare in front of each other, confessed absolutely everything. I regret the anger I first felt when she suggested we do this. I finally feel free, free of all the burdens and weight I've been carrying around on my shoulders for years.<br>And it's all thanks to Tris. I know now that our relationship will be healthy, and we'll argue once in a while, but not often. There's no barriers between Tris and I anymore, and I'm grateful for that. We celebrate the occasion with a bottle of champagne I found in the fridge, and I cook the best supper I can come up with: spaghetti. We fall asleep in each other's embrace, and for the first time in years, I have a peaceful sleep.

**Well, there you guys go. Chapter 9, which is a hugely important chapter. No more arguing every couple days, and life will be better from here on... for a while. Muahahahaha. **

**Something important is happening in chapter 10, so yeah. It'll be up within the next few days. **

**Please review, guys. Let me know how you like it so far. And thanks for the 2,200+ views!  
><strong>


	11. I need your guys' input

I just need your guys' opinion on something really quick.

I've been toying with two ideas for other Divergent fanfictions, and I don't know if I should do one or both.

The first idea is a journal of Tobias' after Tris's death, documenting his feelings and life for a few years.

The second is a story, of Tris surviving being shot. But losing her memory in the process. (This essentially means she forgets everything about her life, her parents, Tobias. Everything.)

I know they're both terribly sad, but I really like them. Let me know what you guys think!

Chapter 10 will be up by Friday. Promise. Unless something comes up and I can't post. 


	12. Sorry

Hey guys. Sorry I didn't post chapter 10. I got sidetracked with work and family issues and relationship issues and blah blah blah. I'll post it tomorrow. Probably. I dunno. I'm not really in the mood for writing lately. Thanks for the almost 4,000 views and 15 reviews. Also, I probably have a few grammar, spelling, etc. issues, and I know I've accidentally switched POV's a couple times without meaning to or showing that I did. So, if you find any issues, please review or PM me and I'll glad;y fix them.  
>Again, I'm so sorry for not updating. I need to get on a regular updating schedule, and I'll let you know as soon as I get all that sorted out.<br>Love you guys. 


	13. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

Tris

After I shake Tobias awake and kiss him enthusiastically for a while, we shower and make breakfast. If you can call two pieces of toast with some outdated peanut-  
>butter breakfast. We get dressed, taking our time and stopping to hug or kiss about once every two minutes. I contemplate braiding my hair, but I'm too lazy for that. I settle for a messy bun, a pair of black skinny jeans and a black tanktop that shows off my tattoos. When I come out of the bathroom, Tobias is sitting on the bed in his briefs. He looks at me, his eyes taking in every detail, but not greedily. More like lovingly.<br>It still amazes me that he thinks I'm beautiful. When I look in the mirror, I see a 16 year old girl who looks like she's 12. I have a couple hints at curves, but not enough to please anybody. My ribs show, my nose is too long. I scrutinize every inch of myself. But when Tobias looks at me like that, like I'm the only thing he'll ever see, it's these moments that I truly feel beautiful. I walk up to him, grab his face in my hands, and kiss him passionately. He kisses each of my ravens, turns me around and kisses the tattoos of the Abnegation and Dauntless symbols on my shoulderblades. He leans back into the bed with his arms wrapped around my stomach, pulling me with him. "I think we should stay right here, exactly like this, forever," he murmurs into my hair. "I'd be happy. Happier. More happy. Whatever it's supposed to be." I laugh it his mistake, and kiss his cheek. "Sweetie, I'd love to stay in bed with you for the rest of my life, but we can't. Get dressed, or I'll make you." I wink at him. He chuckles and says, "In that case, I refuse." I playfully smack his ear, and he puts on his pouting face as he pulls on a pair of black jeans with a matching long-  
>sleeve shirt. I grab his hand, and lead him onto the couch. Time for another serious talk. "So, what are we doing today, love?" he asks me. I can see that he's happier than he's ever been, and I realize that I am too. The two of us are bubbly and happy. I'm glad Tobias and I did what we did yesterday, telling each other everything. I doubt he held anything back; there's not a question I didn't ask, or a memory he didn't share. And the same goes for me. I poured my heart soul out to him, and he did the same for me, and we broke every single barrier between us. We are truly together. I wouldn't want it any other way. I just hope what I'm about to say won't change that. "I think we need to make arrangements for going back to Chicago." It's still strange, knowing that our city has a name, and is only one of millions spread out across the entire world. We grew up thinking that our city was the only one; it didn't need a name, or a location. It just... was. I smile at his reaction. His jaw drops, and he's clearly at a loss for words. He most definitely did not see that coming. "I... you... what?!" are the words he finally comes up with, and I nod. "Yep." I smile at him, and reach over and shut his mouth for him, which is still hanging open. "Why?" "I... don't really know." I feel myself getting angry, but I'm not even sure who or what I'm mad at. "I just.. want to get the fuck out of this place. Forever. I never want to have to lay my eyes on this hellhole again. This place is torture for me. Anywhere I go is torture for me; it seems like just living is torture." Tobias flinches. I have no clue where my anger is coming from, but it's raging like a river. "In case you didn't notice, I almost died here, Tobias."<br>He stands up, and all I can see in his eyes is fury. I thought this wasn't going to happen anymore, we weren't going to fight, I fixed everything and why do I have to be so fucking stupid?  
>"Don't," is all he says. His voice is filled with venom, and I shy away from him. He twitches, as if to move towards me, but decides against it. Instead, he decides to continue. "Tris, don't you ever act like I wasn't by your side the entire time you were in a goddamn coma! Don't accuse me of not caring about you. Do not. Ever. Tell me that I didn't notice you almost die. YOU made ME almost commit suicide because I thought you died, Tris. I did notice."<br>I just stand across from him. Why are we even arguing? I got mad for no reason. I think Tobias and I need to leave here as soon as possible. "Why are we even fighting?" He throws his hands in the air and shrugs. "I actually have no idea, Tris. You tell me. You flipped out on me, for no reason."  
>I sigh. "I know. I have no clue where that came from. We're agreeing, for God's sake. I just... we need to leave, Tobias. This place is putting too much stress on us.<br>And I know that Chicago won't be stress-free at all, but I think I'll actually be able to stand it there. There's too much trauma here, too many bad memories. I have bad memories from Chicago. But they don't compare to the ones we made here. The memory of us almost breaking up. The memory of you leaving, thinking we'd see each other again. The memory of almost killing you. It's all too much for me, and for you. Let's leave. Please."  
>Tobias crosses the room and pulls me close to him, kissing my hair. "We will leave. Tonight. I promise you we'll be leaving this place in the dust in less than 12 hours."<br>I nod. "Good. I guess we should pack then."

After what little we have is packed in a couple duffle bags, Tobias and I walk to the door. Just as I'm about to open it, he turns around and surveys the room with a smile on his face. "What?" I ask him, and he turns to me, snapping out of his daze. "Well, I just thought of something. Not every memory we made here is bad." And he blushes. It makes me melt inside that I can make someone like Tobias, who almost has two different personalities, blush. I bring out the real him, and I'm proud of it. I grab his hand. "You're right. This room, will always be important to me. I overcame one of my biggest fears here. Now I'm Six, and you're Four." He smiles and kisses me gently. "But, that isn't all of it. That night.. I had no idea what to do. I was scared, because I'm skinny and gross-" "Odd how you define 'perfect'" he mutters, just loud enough for me to hear, and I blush before continuing. "I just knew that in that moment, I wanted to prove my love to you. And I couldn't think of any other way. I was ready, just like that. I'll always remember this room. I love you." And I kiss him again. We turn around, walk out of the room, leaving the door to swing shut behind us. Tobias stops, and fishes around in his pocket. What could he possibly be looking for?  
>But then he smiles at me, and pulls out the key to our room. "What do you want to do with it?" he asks me. That's a good question. Do we keep it as a keepsake, or throw it away?<br>I decide in a split second. "Chuck it." He frowns at me. "That was quick."  
>"It didn't take much thinking. All that key is, is a material possession. I'd rather keep the memory in my mind forever."<br>Tobias nods. "Me too." He looks down at the key in his palm, as if contemplating what to do with it. Without warning, he sprints back into the apartment with a pained look on his face. He returns a few minutes later, panting.  
>"Are you okay?" I ask him. "Yeah. I flushed it, and it wouldn't go down, so I had to plunge it." I burst out laughing and hug him. "Come on. Let's go tell the others."<p>

Tobias

Tris and I walk around the Bureau for a while before heading to the dormitories where the others are staying. Even though we both despise this place, we realize that we'll miss it a bit. We visit the cafeteria, and the momument that they put up after the fountain blew up, putting Uriah in a coma. This is especially hard for Tris,  
>but I hold her as she fights the tears.<br>Eventually, we make our way to the dorms. Tris stops outside the door, and turns to me. "Can I ask you something?" she looks at me with a look that says she won't take no for an answer, she's just being nice by asking.  
>"Of course. You know you can ask me anything, love."<br>She nods, as if reassuring herself. "When you went back... to Chicago. What was it like?" "What do you mean?" I ask her, slightly confused. It was, well, Chicago. Maybe a bit different, with Abnegation being shot up and Erudite being annihilated, but it was still home. "Like... Everything. I need to know what changed, what stayed the same, before I can go there." She's having second thoughts now?  
>"Tris, it's either here or there. There's no in-between place we can just go to whenever we feel like it. Are you having second thoughts about leaving?" I'm slightly annoyed at her, and it shows in my voice. Tris sighs. "No, Tobias. I'm not having second thoughts. I'd rather be anywhere than here. I just... want to know what I'm getting into." I guess she has a point. "I guess you're right. How about we compromise? I'll tell you on the way there." She tilts her head at me.<br>"Are you... conceding?" she asks me, and my mind flashes back to our brief time in Amity. The time when we were unaware of the outside world. Before we almost broke up, before Tris almost died. Sometimes, I wish we never would have left. "Because, you're not very nice, and I'm not very nice, so that must be why we like each other so much."  
>I smirk, and kiss her gently. After about a minute, she pulls away. "I'm gonna ask them if they want to come." I nod. I was hoping for her to do that, because I know Tris will need her friends when we're in Chicago. She and I can't do it alone. "I was hoping you'd ask them that. I doubt Christina wants to stay here much longer. As for the rest, I don't really know." "Neither do I. Let's find out." And with that, she pushes open the door.<br>As soon as Christina sees Tris, she wraps her in a suffocating bear hug, and Tris winces. Christina pulls away, and apologizes. "Chris, it's okay. I missed you too. I'm fine. Can you get the others to come over here, please?"  
>Christina nods, looking confused, and tells Peter, Caleb, and Cara to join us. Once evryone is standing in a group, I clear my throat. I've never been good at talking to crowds. It isn't a fear or anything like that, but it makes me nervous. "Tris and I have to ask all of you something." Tris walks up beside me, and grabs my hand. "We've decided to leave."<br>She's met with a stony silence. "Leave?" Peter pipes up. Tris nods, her eyes hardening. "Why the hell would you leave?" Tris glares at him. She's cute when she's angry. "Well, Peter, in case you didn't notice, I almost died in this place. And it was torture. For both me and Tobias. Being in this place just reminds us of what we had to endure here, and we can't take that as individuals, or as a couple. So, we're leaving."  
>"Where are you going?" Christina asks, although they should all know the answer. Tris looks at me, and I nod. I take a deep breath. "We're going home. To Chicago."<br>Everybody stares at us. Not quite the reaction I expected. "Why?" asks Caleb, and he sounds angry. "All that place has for you are bad memories. For both of you. Why would you go back there?"  
>"To face our fears," says Tris defiantly. "I'd rather live in a place I know, a place I can call home, a place where some good things happened, instead of this...<br>chasm. That's all it is to Tobias and I, is a chasm. A gaping abyss of bad memories. And although a lot of bad things happened back home, we need to face them, and learn to live with them. And there's no better place to do that than home." I nod again. I don't really have to say much; Tris is a lot better at talking than I am. "We want you to come with us." They stare at us again, dumbfounded. They must think we're insane. "Look, the fact is, we're all friends here. Yeah, even you, Peter,"  
>Peter frowns and sticks his middle finger at me. "We made it through so much together, and I don't want to have to split up with you guys. We'll all need each other in the future. Think about it. We could make a life back in Chicago. Together. Please, consider it. We won't force you, but just know we'd greatly appreciate it. Tris and I are leaving at 8:00 PM tonight. You have until then to decide."<br>"Please, guys. I need you," Tris adds. "We'll be back here at 8:00, but if you decide before then, come find me or Tobias or both of us." With that, Tris and I turn to leave. "Well, I guess I'll go with you, Stiff. I have nowhere else to be, anyways." "Oh, for fuck sakes, Peter," Tris says exasperatedly. "I was hoping you'd be the only one to stay behind." I know she's only half-joking. Maybe a quarter. "Well, it's safest where the Stiff is..." he mutters, loudly enough for everyone to hear.  
>"Ha. As if." Tris snaps at him. She looks around the room again, and I notice her eyes skip over Caleb's. "That's one. 8 hours, guys."<br>And Tris leaves. I hurry to catch up with her. "Are you okay?" I ask her. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just didn't know what to expect. I really hope they come, Tobias." Tris bites her lip, and I can tell she's worried. "Don't worry, babe. It'll be fine." I'm pretty sure Christina and Caleb will come for Tris, but I don't know about Cara. I imagine she feels quite at home here, with all the computers and technology. She's also the least important one, but I can't say that to Tris's face. She'd insist that we're all equals. "If you say so." She grabs my hand, and we head to the cafeteria.

Within an hour, Christina comes up to me and Tris. "I'm coming," is all she says, and with that she turns on her heel and leaves. Tris turns to look at me. "Well, that was interesting." she says, and I nod. "I think she's just mad about the fact that we gave her a whole eight hours to think about it." Tris nods, and I kiss her forehead. "She'll get over it. Don't worry."  
>Throughout the rest of the day, the others all approach Tris and I to tell us they'll be accompanying us to Chicago. All except Cara. When 7:30 rolls around, Cara still hasn't come to us. We leave the cafeteria and head to the dorms, where we left all our stuff. When we enter the dorms, Tris gasps, and I see why. Everything is... bare. All the blankets, pillows, sheets. Everything that had been even a bit personalized has been removed. And there's nobody there. The stillness is almost eerie, and we can't bear it. We close the doors to the dorm, give it one last look, and head down to the main entrance.<p>

Through the glass doors, I can see two large black vans, with people crowded around them, but in the dark I can't tell who it is. I grab Tris's hand, and give it a reassuring squeeze. I hold open the door for her as we exit the compound for the last time. The people gathered around the vans are Peter, Caleb, Christina, Zeke and his mother, and... Amar and George? Amar grins at me and pulls me into a hug. "Man, you think I'd be able to live here without you?" he asks me, and I just shake my head. "Are you two sure you wanna come?" I really hope that they aren't doing this for me. Amar nods. "Yeah, we're sure. We have some... catching up to do with certain people. And George wants to give his sister a proper burial. And besides; there's no place like home." He's right. I don't want to be anywhere else but home. And for me, home is where Tris is.  
>I look around at everyone. Nobody looks troubled, or worried. They all look determined, determined to leave the compound behind. "Is everyone ready?" I ask them, and they all nod, except Tris.<br>"Where's Cara?"  
>And that's when I realize that Cara is the only person missing. I glance at the doors, and I see Cara walk toward us, with Matthew behind her. Cara stops in front of Tris.<br>"I... I'm staying," she says, and Tris just nods. "This place, it feels almost like Erudite to me. Without Jeanine, and without all the corruption, now that David and the rest of them have had their memories wiped. And I think I could grow to love it here, if given the chance. And I'm giving myself that chance by staying." Tris pulls Cara into a hug, which stuns her, but then she returns it warmly. "I'll miss you," says Tris, and her voice is thick with emotion. Cara sniffles, the first real display of emotion I've ever seen from her. "I'll miss you too, Tris. And the rest of you, as well. Try to keep in touch." We all assure her that we will, and exchange our goodbyes. We pile into the two vans, Amar driving one and George driving the other.  
>I stand at the back of the van, staring out at the compound as it dwindles behind us. I feel an arm wrap around my waist, and Tris's lips on the back of my neck. "What are you thinking, Tobias?" she asks me, and I sigh. "I'm thinking how glad I am to be rid of this place for good. I couldn't bear to stay there any longer. I never want to see it again, as long as I live." Which I know now will be a long time. The war is over, and we can live our lives in peace. Tris turns me around, and kisses me, awakening a side of me that only Tris has seen. The side of me that is capable of love, and compassion. The side of me that I had no idea existed, until a gray blur fell into the net and I grabbed her hand. Tris leads me to a bench on the left side of the van, and lays her head in my lap. I stroke her hair as she falls asleep, and eventually I doze off too.<p>

"Four. Four! FOUR! Wake up!" Amar's voice snaps me out of my daze, and I groan. "What time is it?" I ask him. "2:15. Wake Tris up. I need to show you guys something."  
>He looks worried, the most worried I've ever seen him, and I wonder what could cause that worry. "Meet me in front of the van in a couple minutes." I nod, and Amar exits through the double doors at the back of the van. "Tris, wake up." I press my lips to her forehead, and she swats at me weakly. "No." I chuckle. "Babe, it's important. Amar needs to show us something." Tris sighs and sits up, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. "Come on."<br>I open the doors of the van and let Tris out. Together we walk towards amar, who is staring at something. "Look." is all he says, and Tris gasps. We're parked a few hundred meters from the gates into the city, or what was the gates. In their place is a smoldering hole as wide as the road. My breath catches in my throat. Neither of us speaks for a few minutes, until Tris breaks the silence. "W-what happened?" she asks Amar. Amar shakes his head grimly. "Nobody knows. I guess we'd better find out." With that, he gets back into the driver's seat of the van, and with heavy hearts we drive through the gates, dreading what lies ahead.

**So, I know this chapter was really bad. I really struggled with it, and I don't know why. But anyways, the cliffhanger is nowhere near as bad as you guys are thinking. Let me know what you think. Please review, and thanks so much for all the views!**

**Sincerely, Quinn**


	14. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Tris

If you take the train from the fence to the city, it will take you about half an hour to reach the outskirts of the city. But if you drive, it takes well over an hour.  
>And in the hour and a bit we've been driving, nobody has spoken a single word. The tension in the air is so thick I can almost grab it in my hands. I have no nails left to chew, and Tobias' foot hasn't stopped tapping. Christina and Caleb have been sitting together, dozing, but I can tell they're having trouble. What could've happened? What could've left a gaping hole in the fence we thought impenetrable? Is there even anything left of our city?<br>I take a deep breath, and a strangled sob escapes me. I bury my face in my hands, and Tobias wraps his arms around me. "Shh, Tris. It's okay. It'll be fine." He repeats himself countless times until I finally stop crying, and ask him "How do you know?"  
>He looks at me. "I don't. But, nobody does. Nobody knows what could've caused that. But I don't think it's something bad."<br>I start to argue, but he raises his hand. "Let me finish." I nod.  
>"I think that if something as bad as you're thinking had happened, there'd be nothing here. But, there is. Tris, taked a look out the window."<br>I stand up, and look out the window. I see the buildings of Chicago, the Hub standing tallest. The gray buildings of Abnegation. The train tracks twisting and turning like an enormous snake. Tobias stands next to me, resting his arms on the cold metal wall. "There's no fires, no ashes. Nothing's destroyed; everything looks the same as the last time I was here. We'll get our answers soon enough."  
>"When?" I ask him.<br>"Today. We're going to Evelyn's office. She'll know what happened. I know you two don't exactly get along, but this will be worth it."  
>I nod again. Although I detest his mother, Tobias is right. Tobias walks to the front of the van, and whispers something to Amar. Amar nods, and takes a left turn, heading directly to the center of the city.<br>We arrive at Erudite headquarters, and everyone piles out of the vans. Tobias turns in front of the doors, and surveys everybody. "Tris and I are going to talk to Evelyn. The rest of you can go wherever you want after, but I need you to stay in the lobby while we find out what happened to put that hole in the fence. I don't want anyone sneaking off and dying or something. Got it?" The others nod, and Tobias leads the way into the Erudite headquarters.

The bulding is still destroyed, although repairs are ongoing. Tobias and I walk to the front desk, and Tobias clears his throat. "Welcome to Erudite headquarters. How may I help you?" says the clerk without looking up from his laptop. "I need to speak with Evelyn Eaton," says Tobias in a hard voice. "Well, make an appointment. Evelyn doesn't have time to speak to anybody."  
>"I'm her son. I have every right to see her. Now, where is her office?" Tobias has turned into Four for the time being, and for once I'm okay with it. When the Erudite looks up, he almost jumps out of his seat, and his glasses - which are missing lenses - fall to the floor. "Uh, yes sir, right away, Mr. Eaton. Follow me." And the clerk leads us to an elevator. I glance at the group, and give them a reassuring smile. I'm a bit more at ease now that we've found people alive and well, but I'm still curious. I follow Tobias into the elevator.<br>When we arrive at the top floor, the clerk gives us directions. "Walk straight down this hallway, and go left at the second intersection. Take another left at the next intersection. Ms. Johnson's office is the last door on the right."  
>"Thank you," I say. The clerk nods, and rushes back into the elevator. Tobias laughs when the doors close. "Nice fellow," he comments, and I laugh with him. When we reach Evelyn's office, Tobias turns to me. "Are you ready?" he asks me. He knows that Evelyn and I dislike each other, which is nobody's but her own fault. "Yeah, I'm ready. I can put aside my... feelings for her for the time being. We need to know what made that hole." Tobias nods. "Thank you," he says, and puts his lips against my forehead. I take a deep breath, and knock on the door.<p>

Tobias

"Come in," I hear Evelyn's voice, and I lead the way in. When Evelyn sees us, she gasps. "Tobias." She rushes to me and hugs me. I hug her back, but formally. I still find it weird being around her, let alone hugging me. After she lets go of me, my mother's eyes find Tris. She nods her head. "Tris." Tris nods back. "Evelyn." I can feel the tension radiating from my girlfriend, and to a lesser extent, my mother. I wish they would resolve their differences, for their own sake, if not for mine. "Please sit," says Evelyn, and Tris and I take two chairs in front of her desk. She smiles at me, completely ignoring Tris. I think I'll bring that up. "What can I do for you today?" "A few things. I'll start with the least important." Evelyn nods, and motions with her hand for me to continue. "We just arrived. We were rather... astounded at the gaping hole in the Fence." Evelyn sighs.  
>"Oh... About that. I assume you want the truth?" I narrow my eyes at her. What kind of mother asks her son that? She clears her throat and continues. "I guess someone forgot to tell the guards that the Allegiant were allowed to leave the city if they chose. When they arrived at the gates and asked to be let out, the guards refused.<br>The Allegiant killed the guards, and set bombs on the gate. They blew it open, and left." I sigh, a weight lifting off of my chest. "We thought someone had destroyed the city, or come in and killed everyone. I guess it's in my nature to assume the worst."  
>"Did they all leave? Even Marcus and Johanna?" asks Tris, and Evelyn turns to her, narrowing her eyes. I sense a conflict coming, but I'm going to make the best of it.<br>"Marcus and half of the Allegiant stayed in the city, girl. The other half left to explore with Johanna." Evelyn's eyes concentrate on my face again, but I wait for Tris to speak.  
>"Why do you insist on calling me girl? On treating me like an inferior?" asks Tris, her voice rising. Evelyn smirks at her, and I wish I could wipe that look of her face. But, I'm not Marcus. "Because you are a girl. You're barely seventeen years old, Beatrice. What makes you think you know everything? What makes you think of yourself as my equal? Why do you think you're better for my son than myself? You are wrong!" spits Evelyn, her face flushing. "I was there for him when you weren't," says Tris, and Evelyn's eyes widen. "I support Tobias in everything he does. I know him better than anyone, and I can say the same about myself. I love your son, Evelyn. I'm not just pretending, so I can use him. I wouldn't leave him when he needed me the most. I'll be there for him for the rest of his life. And I think the reason you despise me so much is because I've taken your place. You're only temporary, Evelyn. I'm permanent." Evelyn's face is flushed; I can almost see the steam gushing from her ears. "Get out," she says to Tris. "GET OUT!" "No." "She's not leaving without me, Evelyn. Tris is right; you need to get off your high horse and own up to the shit you've done. The fact that you left me to deal with Marcus by myself is unforgivable. I didn't come here to make amends. I came here to get the information I needed; but now I realize that I also came here to let Tris speak her mind to you. I want to know why you detest my girlfriend so much. Because she's not going anywhere. And I can't live with you two at each other's throats every time we have to meet. Get over your differences right now, or in the future at least pretend." Both women are looking at me, speechless. Tris is the first one to speak, but she no longer sounds angry. "Why is it that you hate me, Evelyn? What did I ever do to you?" Evelyn sighs, not looking at either of us. It surprises me when she answers Tris. She turns to look at us before she speaks. "You have no idea... either of you, how much I regret leaving my son," I freeze; I never thought Evelyn would admit to this. "But, I truly do. I should have told someone what was going on behind the walls of our home; and admitted to having an affair. I should have seeked help from my friends, and not left. I am truly sorry. I know that you may never forgive me, Tobias, but please, at least try."<br>I nod stiffly. I am Four right now; no emotions are showing. "And, Beatrice... You're right in your guess as to why I dislike you. I am jealous; jealous of the fact that my own son loves you more than he loves me. But, I now understand why he doesn't love me. And I can see that you truly make him happy. It pains me to see someone do what I cannot; you bring out the best in my son. I wish I knew how to be in your place, but I don't. I wish my relationship with my son was real, and not formal, or necessary. I admit that I was wrong when I told you that you are only permanent in Tobias' life; I know now that you two are truly meant to be together. I... apologize for my behaviour, and I hope that we can move on from this."  
>My own expression mirrors Tris's: both of our jaws have dropped, and we're staring at Evelyn as if she's grown an extra head. "I... Thank you," says Tris. "I'm glad we've gotten that out of our systems. I think you need to try harder to repair what you lost when you left Tobias with Marcus.<br>From now on, I'll be here, encouraging your relationship with each other." And Tris reaches across the desk and shakes Evelyn's hand. I just shake my head. Women. "I appreciate your concern, Tris. The two of you can accomplish anything, I'm sure of it. If you ever need anything, let me know." I nod, still too dumbfounded to speak, and Tris leads the way out of my mother's office.  
>On the way down to the main floor, Tris looks at me. "What's wrong?" she asks me, and I sigh.<br>"Nothing's wrong."  
>"Tobias. We promised no more secrets." It kind of hurts me that she automatically assumes I'm hiding something, but I don't let it show. "Tris, I'm serious. Nothing's wrong. I just... did not expect that. To be completely honest, I expected you and Evelyn to get into a catfight, or something, not.. do what you did. But, I'm glad that meeting went the way it did."<br>Tris hugs me, and pulls my face down to kiss her. "Me too," she whispers against my lips. "I love you, Tobias."  
>"I know. I love you too." We break the kiss when the elevator opens on the ground floor. The others rush toward us, asking all sorts of questions. I explain to them that the hole was caused by an Allegiant bomb, and that it was all a consequence of forgetting to inform the gate guards. They breathe a collective sigh of relief.<br>We get into the vans, and head towards to Dauntless compound to begin a new chapter of our lives.

**Blah, sorry for another bad chapter. I'm terrible with dialogue that isn't between the main characters. I just came up with the Allegiant idea on the spot, because I didn't want to destroy the city. **

**Anyways, I have to clarify something.**

**For those of you who don't know, yes, I am a male. And I am not gay; simply obsessed with Divergent and in love with Beatrice Prior. So, yeah. For anyone wondering, I'm a dude. **

**That's all. Expect chapter 12 sometime soon. Not too sure exactly when. Also, keep reviewing and all that jazz.**

**PS**

**In the chapter where Tris and Tobias were confessing everything, Tris mentioned that her favourite band was Sepultura. Sepultura is an 80's old school death/thrash metal band. It gives a bit of a twist to Tris's character that she's into that kind of music. **


	15. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Tris

I stand behind Tobias and watch him jump out of the train. I watch his muscles ripple beneath his T shirt as he lands and keeps running, as if jumping off trains is a second nature to him, which it very well might be. I take a deep breath and launch myself from the train. I hit the gravel that lines the top of the building and stumble a little; I'm nowhere near as good as Tobias.  
>After I catch my breath, Tobias wraps his arms around me. I kiss him gently, and grab his hand. Together we walk to the ledge. "What was your first jump like?" I ask him, curious as to how he made it with his fear of heights. "Absolutely terrifying." He chuckles. "I wasn't the last jumper, but I sure as hell wasn't the first. There was no way I was going first, especially because I was the only Abnegation transfer and I didn't want to draw attention to myself. So, I waited until I was sure it was safe, and jumped."<br>I can picture it. A scrawny Tobias, with his ears sticking out, afraid to jump. I wonder if he knows how much he's changed. "Well, will you be afraid if I jump with you?"  
>Tobias shakes his head. "I'm not afraid of anything when I'm with you."<br>I blush. "Not even Mar-"  
>"Not even Marcus." He takes my hand and pulls me onto the ledge with him."I love you, you know." I nod, and he kisses me. I tangle my fingers in his hair, his body melding to mine like we were made to intertwine. The wind whips my hair around, and it tickles his neck, pulling a giggle out of him. I break the kiss and lay my head against his chest, savouring the moment. It's times like this that I realize I would be nothing without Tobias; he is my other half. My rock. Maybe even my soul mate.<br>And I would die without him. I stand beside him, and say "On three." He nods, and together we count. On three, we both let ourselves fall forward, and my hand never leaves his as we fall toward the net.

I lay beside Tobias, still on the net. We haven't moved since we fell, and nobody's come to bother us, which is perfectly fine with us. My head is on his chest, and I listen to his heartbeat. I could spend the rest of my life right here and I would be happy. "What do you think is out there?" Tobias asks me, and I shrug. "Stars." He laughs, and I smile. His laugh gives me butterflies. "But beyond that," he says. "What do you think is there. Aliens? Other humans?" "That's hard to answer," I say, and it is. I'm not an Erudite; I just know that there's space. "Probably aliens. I mean, the universe is constantly expanding. And it's so huge.. the chances of there not being any other forms of life are pretty low."  
>He nods. "You were definitely cut out for Erudite." "I'd rather die," I say. I wouldn't become an Erudite if my life depended on it. "Do you know what constellations are?" Tobias asks me, and I shake my head. It's odd that he knows so much about stars and space; I never knew he was interested in that kind of thing. "Constellations are shapes made by stars in the sky. This one is the Big Dipper." He points to the sky, and traces out a giant spoon. It takes me a while to find it,<br>but eventually I see it. I reach up and lace my fingers with his. "What's your favourite?" I ask him. He smiles at me, and traces a "W" with our joined hands. "My favourite is called Cassiopeia." I frown. "That's a weird name." Tobias nods. "I agree. Do you want to know why it's my favourite?" I nod. "Well, Cassiopeia was a queen in mythology. And she was the most beautiful woman in the world. I thought of you." I blush, and tears form behind my eyes. "Y-you think I'm the most beautiful girl in the world?" Tobias frowns. "Of course." I smile, and tears start to fall. Happy tears; the happiest I've been in a long time.  
>Tobias sits up, alarmed. "Tris? What's wrong? Are you okay?"<br>I smile, and laugh, and shake my head. "I'm not sad, Tobias. I'm happy."  
>His frown deepens. "Then why are you-"<br>I silence him by pressing my lips to his. We kiss gently for a long time, and when I pull away, I kiss his nose. "I love you so much, Tobias. I don't know what I'd do without you..." The word "you" is extended by a yawn. I realize that I'm exhausted, and I lay my head on his chest again. "I know. I love you too, Tris." I attempt to say something back, but I fall asleep with his arms around me.

Tobias

After Tris falls asleep in my arms, I lay there for a while, enjoying the moment. Before Tris came to Dauntless, I never thought I'd have something like this with somebody. I never really even considered dating, let alone falling in love. But here I am, neck deep in love with Beatrice Prior, and falling deeper every second. Tris is like a drug to me. And I don't think she even realizes it. But she makes me happy. Truly happy. She gives me a purpose, and makes me feel alive. We belong together, and we always will. I roll of the net, and Tris slides toward me. She falls off the net, and lands in my arms. Her eyes fly open, and I kiss her. "It's okay. It's just me. Go back to sleep, darling." Tris groans. "Mmmkay. Love you." I'd say it back, but she's already out like a light again. And besides; she knows I love her. I carry her to my apartment- no, _our_ apartment- in my arms, and lay her in the bed. I tuck the covers under her chin, and just look at her. She has a small smile on her face; she is content in her slumber. She looks so peaceful, like an angel. My angel. I crawl in beside her, and kiss her forehead. "I love you, Beatrice." And with that, I get under the covers and fall asleep with a smile on my face.  
>I wouldn't want to be anywhere else.<p>

**So, sorry for the short chapter. I just felt like writing some super lovey-dovey stuff. I don't mean to bore you, but honestly, I could read about Tris and Tobias for the rest of my life and be content. Should I do more stuff like this? And, one important thing.. sex or no sex?**

**Let me know in reviews! And jesus, thanks so much for the over 5200 views! I never thought I'd get that many with a shitty story, but I'm glad you all like it.**

**Much love,**

**Quinn. **


	16. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Tobias

I enter our apartment and take my shoes off. As soon as I blink, the scene rapidly changes. I am now standing in the living room of an Abnegation house. I am confused. Why am I in Abnegation? I turn in a circle slowly, and take in the room. I see grey walls, barren of any decoration, because decorations are selfish. I see three grey chairs, one of which has not been used in ten years. I see a large cross on the wall opposite me, and it finally sinks in where I am. Marcus's house; Hell.  
>I spin around, searching for Marcus, prepared to defend myself, but he is nowhere to be found. I enter the kitchen. A scream pierces the stillness of the house, and my eyes rise to the roof, glued there. The woman screams again, and I snap out of my daze. I take the stairs two at a time, and I stop in front of a door I know all too well: the door to my room. I hear the woman scream a third time, and she begs. "No more. Please. I'm begging you."<br>My heart stops in my chest. I would recognize that voice anywhere; it's Tris's. I rip open the door, breaking one of the hinges in the process. I stop in my tracks.  
>Tris is tied to a wooden chair, her face and body bloodied and scratched. She is drifting in and out of consciousness. A dark figure stands over her, holding a belt.<br>A figure dressed in Abnegation grey; Marcus. I rush toward my father, intending to pry his head from his neck, but I am stopped by an invisible barrier. I pound at it, screaming Tris's name, to no avail. I turn and find my way barred by another barrier. I am trapped. Tris screams again, and I begin to cry. Why can't I help her?  
>"MARCUS! I'LL FUCKING KILL YOU, I SWEAR TO GOD. STAY AWAY FROM HER!"<br>Marcus turns toward me, or rather, his head does. The head swivels around 180 degrees, and I flinch at what I see there. The face staring back at me with a sadistic smile on its face is not my fathers. It is David, the man in charge of the Bureau. "I'm afraid that won't happen, Tobias."  
>I sink to my knees, willing myself to awake from this torment. But I can't. I have to endure this. "Now, watch. Watch as I drain the life from the one thing you truly love." I scream, an agonizing scream. Why is this happening to me?<br>"Tobias..." I hear Tris's voice. "Help... Please.. help..." I shake my head, tears streaming down my face. The belt in David's hand has transformed into a gun, and he reaches into his pocket and pulls out one bullet. Tris is screaming my name now, but I can't speak. I can't think, or see. All I feel is helplessness. "I love you, Tobias." And I scream one last time as David empties the gun into the side of Tris's head and she falls to the floor, all life removed from her body.

I sit up in bed, a strangled sob wrenching from my chest. I bury my face in my hands, trying to push out the image of Tris laying lifeless on the floor as her life force drains away. To banish the sound of David's maniacal laughter as he murders the love of my life before my eyes. I get out of bed and make my way to the bathroom. I lean over the counter, and take a deep breath. It was only a dream. I can keep telling myself that, but it does not make the fear any less real. It doesn't change the images imprinted inside my head. I've been having these dreams almost every night since Tris woke up. It isn't always the same, but the concept is. I always have to watch as Tris is taken from me. I am always powerless to do anything, and she always begs me to help her.  
>I don't know what's wrong with me. Tris is alive, and well, so why am I dreaming this? Is it a premonition? Or is it just the fact that almost losing her scarred me?<br>I glance at the clock hanging on the wall, and laugh. 3:30 AM. The exact time I awoke to find that Tris had given herself up to the Erudite, to Jeanine. I sink to the ground, and the laughs keep coming. Eventually, I manage to quiet down. I think I'm going insane; I need help. But I can't admit that to myself; I can't be weak. I stand up, and make my way back to the bed to find Tris sitting there, staring at me. "Oh my god. Tobias." She jumps out of the bed, and pulls me to her. The tears building up behind my eyes threaten to spill over, but I push them away. "What happened?"  
>Tris asks me, and I shake my head. "Nightmare." I respond, and she flinches at my voice. Emotionless. Empty. Not Four. But not Tobias. Perhaps I am a shell of both of them at this moment.<br>"Do you want to talk about it?" I shrug. "You died." Tris flinches again. But I continue. "You died. We were in Abnegation, at Marcus's house. I heard you scream, so I rushed upstairs. When I got to the room you were in, I saw you tied to a chair, beaten and bloodied. And..." I swallow, and the tears spill over, but I continue to repeat my nightmare. "Marcus was standing over you holding a belt. I rushed at him, tried to kill him, but I was stopped by something. There were walls on every side of me, but I could still see you.  
>I yelled and swore at my father, and he turned around, and that's when I saw that it wasn't my father." I stop, and Tris looks confused, but I talk before she can ask anything. "It was David." Tris covers her mouth with a hand, and still I continue. "I sat there, and I watched David shoot you. You begged and begged me to save you, but I was powerless. I couldn't do anything. I just... I can't lose you, Tris. I can't. Please, never leave me."<br>Tris wraps her arms around me, and lays my head in her lap. "Tobias. I'm here. I'm alive. This is real. I'm sorry. I think... I think you need to see someone about this. I'm always here, but I'm not much help if I just remind you of your dreams." I nod. She's right. "I love you, Tobias. I'll always be right by your side. I promise. Now, get some rest." "I..." I croak, unable to speak. "I love you." Tris nods, as if to say "I know." She crawls back into bed and pulls me into her side tightly. She strokes my hair as I fall into an uneasy sleep.

***CAUTION: SEX SCENE INCOMING. SKIP OVER IF YOU DON'T LIKE LEMONS***

Tris

I can't sleep. I fidget under the covers, tossing and turning, but I can't get comfortable. I don't understand why; usually I sleep fine with Tobias beside me. I feel a damp spot between my legs. Oh. That's what it is.  
>I look at Tobias, and bite my lip. Should I wake him up?<br>I chuckle to myself. He won't mind. I scoot over to him, and gently kiss him until he wakes up. He groans. "What time is it, Tris?" I shrug. "No idea." I continue to kiss him, harder and harder.  
>Eventually, he breaks the kiss, panting. "What's all this about? Are you alright?" I frown at him. "Of course I'm alright. I can't sleep." He chuckles, bringing a smile to my lips. "So... what you're saying is, you can't sleep because you're horny, or you're horny because you can't sleep?" I jump on him and straddle him, biting his lip, and he moans against my mouth. "Either one works." I kiss him again, and I feel him between my legs. It sends shivers through my body, and I sigh into his mouth. He grins at me, pure lust in his eyes, and begins to suck on my neck. I moan his name, and he kisses each of my ravens. His fingers slide under my night shirt, each touch sending an electric wave through my body, and gently kneads my breasts. I breathe in sharply, and Tobias takes my shirt off. He kisses between my breasts, and gently sucks on my nipples. While he's doing this, I moan in ecstasy. I never thought that someone could make me feel this way, but Tobias does. Every time he touches me, it sends a shock through my body, resonating from my core. I tangle my fingers in his hair, and bring my lips to his with force. He gently pushes me off his lap, and takes off the remainder of our clothes. I lay beside him and look up at him through my eyelashes. "So, how would you like to do this?" I ask him, and he chuckles. His voice is throaty, filled with lust and passion, but all he says is "You choose."<br>I frown. "No. You choose."  
>"You."<br>"You!"  
>We bicker for about a minute, and I stop him by kissing him. Then, I get on my knees on our bed, asking him to take me from behind. He smirks at me. "Oh, your favourite?" He slips one finger inside me, and I moan. "Oh, God... Please, Tobias.. Fuck me."<br>A throaty growl tears from him, and he positions himself behind me. I feel his callused hands on my neck as he whispers to me, "Ready?"  
>All I can do in response is moan, and he thrusts into me. I scream into the pillow, feeling every inch of him fill me. He moans quietly, and nibbles on my neck as he thrusts in, out, in, out. He picks up speed, and I moan his name over and over as he makes love to me. "Oh... Fuuuuckkkkk, Tobias. You feel so good." I can feel the pressure building up inside me, and I ask him to go deeper. Tobias proceeds to fuck me as hard as he can, and each thrust brings me closer to falling over the edge. I reach my orgasm, and scream his name. My body shudders, my eyes roll back into my head, and I hear him moan my name as he empties himself inside me. I lay there for a few minutes, catching my breath, and he kisses my cheek as he pulls out of me. As soon as he's out, I miss him. I love the feeling of him inside of me; I feel like we are truly one when we make love.<br>He lays down beside me, and kisses my nose. "How was that?" he asks me, like he does every time. I smile at him. "Perfect." He blushes. It still amazes me that I can make Tobias blush. "It's always perfect. I love making love to you." He kisses me passionately. "I'm glad," he murmurs against my lips. "I love you, Tris. I... I really needed that." "I love you too, baby. Anything you need, I'm right here." And he falls asleep again in my arms.  
>I remember when I told him I loved him, when he was asleep and I wanted to sacrifice my life for the Erudite. It was hard for me to tell him, and I don't know why.<br>But now, after all Tobias and I have been through together, I know that I have to tell him I love him. And I want to. I want him to know how I feel about him. I want him to know that he's mine, and I'm his, forever and always.  
>I smile sleepily at the roof, and lapse into a deep sleep.<p>

**A/N: I'm really, really sorry about the last two chapters being somewhat short. I'm just at a horrible writer's block. I have nooo idea what to write. And I'm not going to lie to you, I used sex as a filler. BUT. From now on, the sex will fit in with the story. Expect it every few chapters or so. I need ideas. I already have one, but it won't happen until much later in the story. **

**I'll try to have chapter 14 up by Sunday, but I'm not making promises. Like I said, I have writer's block. I also may or may not start working on another Divergent story, and it might be a post-Divergent(book) one. I also might start work on the other two ideas I already told you about. But don't worry, this story will definitely pick up again.**

**I love you guys, and thanks for reading so much. 6,000 views is a thousand times higher than what I expected. **

**Please, review. I love your guys' opinions and input. Let me know what you think. And if you have any questions, PM me.**

**Yours Truly,**

**Quinn Windsor**


	17. Chapter 14

**Hello. I had to write more Fourtris. I'm addicted. Please don't hate me if you find it boring.**

**Also, let me know how you liked the tattoo idea. I know that this may not be an original idea, so if you happen to read it and feel I copied you, please inform me and I WILL credit you. I haven't read anything with something like this yet, but with the amount of stories on here, it's bound to have been written. I actually got the idea from my teacher, when she told us about how her husband proposed.**

**I go to a really small school. Anyways, her husband was taking some classes during the summer. And she came into the school and found a note, and a Kiss. So yeah, she basically followed the notes and her husband was waiting with a ring where they had their first kiss in junior high. Cute, eh? :')**

**I basically just reversed the roles in that scenario. I honestly did not mean to copy anybody's ideas.**

**So yeah. Review and let me know if you like it. More Fourtris? Less? More sex? I need to know these things.**

**PS.**

**In case you didn't know, I don't own Divergent or anything related to it. However, I will be introducing characters, and those I do own. All rights of everything in the story thus far go to the incredible Veronica Roth**

**And, without further ado, here is Chapter 14. Enjoy!**

Chapter 14

Tobias

I wake up to sunlight streaming through the windows of our apartment. I love the sound of that- our apartment. I groan, rub my eyes, and reach for Tris, but I find her side of the bed empty. I frown. She must be off doing something with Christina. I get out of bed, and walk to the bathroom, still half-awake. I wash my face with cold water, and then I notice a note taped to the mirror. It reads:

IV-  
>Good morning, love. Or afternoon. I hope you slept well. I noticed you've been a bit different lately, and I felt that I needed to cheer you up.<br>The object of this game is to find and followe the clues. I'm waiting at the end with a surprise. Have fun! I love you.  
>-VI<p>

I chuckle to myself. I knew Tris would find a way to cheer me up. After a quick shower, I wrap a towel around my waist. I walk to my dreser, and open the top left drawer. Stuck to the top pair of briefs is another note.

Dear Tobias,  
>I really hope you found this one easy, and didn't tear apart the apartment. I made you a plate of breakfast. It's in the microwave. Warm it up for a minute, and then begin searching for the next clue. It's somewhere in the kitchen. I love you.<br>Yours truly,  
>Beatrice Grace Prior<p>

I shake my head and get dressed. I walk to the kitchen, and open the microwave. Inside is a plate with scrambled eggs and cheese, five slices of bacon, and two pieces of toast. On the pile of eggs is a heart made from ketchup, bordered on either side by mine and Tris's initials.  
>I smile. Tris knows exactly what to do to help me forget about last night's terrors.<br>I finish my breakfast, and set the plate on the counter. I spin in a circle, trying to spot the next clue, but it isn't anywhere in sight. I frown, and search all of the cupboards. I check the dishwasher, under the sink, in the fridge, and after 15 minutes I still haven't found it.  
>Frustrated, and a bit thristy, I open the fridge again and grab the orange juice. When I take the lid off the container, a perfectly folded purple piece of paper falls onto the ground. I unfold the clue and read it.<p>

Dearest,  
>I figured you'd get frustrated with this one. I love teasing you.<br>Anyways, the next clue is in the cafeteria. You shouldn't have trouble finding this one. Just sit where we usually sit, and look around for a bit. Love you!

I put the note in my pocket, and head towards the Pit.

When I reach the cafeteria, there's a few Dauntless walking around. A pair of men are sparring in one corner, and a group of teenage girls are bickering in another.  
>I walk to the table Tris, Christina, Caleb, Zeke, Shauna and I usually sit at, and sit down. There's no note on the top of the table, or on the bench. I think for a second, and reach under the table. I move my hand around for a bit, and pull out a lime green note.<p>

The Tattoo Shop is your next destination. Bud is waiting for you. Only two more stops after that one!  
>XOXO<p>

I stand up, and walk to the tattoo shop. When I enter, Bud grabs my arm and pulls me into one of the stations. "You're getting a tattoo. No ifs, ands, or buts. Sit down, and give me your forearm. Also, no looking at it until Tris tells you, otherwise I'll beat your ass."  
>At this, I snort. Bud couldn't hurt a fly. On the outside, Bud may seem intimidating with his full-body tattoos and dozens of piercings, but once you get to know him,<br>he's quite the softie.  
>"Right. Just get on with it."<br>He smirks, and does the tattoo in about an hour. I cover it with my sweater, keeping my promise not to look. I go to the cash register, but Bud waves me away.  
>"Tris already paid. She uh, told me to give you this."<br>Bud hands me a black box, and I frown. She knows I don't like her spending money on me. I open the box, and there is a custom made necklace. It is a silver infinity symbol, and in each loop, there is a number. The left loop holds a 4 and the right a 6.  
>Tears well up in my eyes, and I will them away. I can cry later.<br>"Thank you, Bud. I appreciate it."  
>"No problem, Four. The next clue is under the velvet in that box."<br>I peel the black velvet out of the box, and I find a yellow sticky note.

Toby,  
>I hope you like the present. I've never gotten you anything. Don't say no, or give it back. Please take it.<br>Make your way to the training room. You won't have to go in too far to find the last clue. When you find it, you'll know where to come. I can't wait to see you.  
>I love you to the moon and back. -Trissy<p>

Toby? Trissy? I shake my head in bewilderment. I don't think I'll ever be able to call her Trissy. I shake Bud's hand and make my way to the training room.

I walk into the training room, and look around. I see floor mats, punching bags, and lockers lining the far right wall. In the corner are the knife targets.  
>I don't see why there would be a note there, so I turn around, and my eyes are drawn to a white piece of paper taped to the door. How did I miss that when I came in?<br>Shaking my head yet again, I read the note.

Congratulations! This is the last clue.  
>I suppose you're wondering why I put the clue there. Do you remember when you and Zeke caught Uriah, me, Lynn and Marlene in here? When I left, you stopped me. And I held your hand, for the first time. My heart melted, and I knew then and there I wanted you. Forever.<br>Well, there's only one place left to go. I won't tell you where, but I know you're smart enough to find me. I love you.  
>Forever&amp;Always,<br>Tris

I sprint toward the Chasm.

I make my way to the secret entrance that lets me onto the rock where Tris and I had our first kiss. When I step onto it, Tris is nowhere to be seen, and I think I made a mistake until a warm pair of small hands circles my waist. I sigh, and breathe in Tris's scent. She smells like coconuts.  
>"Hey," she says, and I laugh.<br>"After making me do all that, all you have to say is 'Hey'?" I turn around, and kiss her. I lift her off her feet, and spin her around. I set her down, and spot a blanket and picnic basket spread out on the rock.  
>"You know, Tris, have I told you I love you?"<br>"Nope. Didn't know that." She grabs my hand, and pulls me to the blanket.  
>I lay down, and she lays her head on my chest. I twine a finger in her hair.<br>"I... Thank you. I needed this today. I don't know what's going on with me. I can't ignore it; that would be disastrous. But I can put it aside, and today helped me do just that. I can never thank you enough. I love you so much, Beatrice."  
>Tris looks up at me, staring into my eyes. When I look into her eyes, I feel like I could lose myself. I see her love for me, shining bright. Her concern for the stress I'm going through. I see her absolute trust, her compassion and selfessness. I see the real Beatrice Prior, and I know that I am the only man alive to have seen that.<br>"I had to. I can't just sit there and let your demons torture you. I want to help. This is the best way I can think of. I hope you liked it. If you didn't, just say so. I mean, it was pretty cheesy and maybe I shouldn't have-"  
>I kiss her. I feel her lips mold to mine, like they were made to kiss me, and maybe they were. I think that I could spend forever in this moment. I open the picnic basket, and find stew. The most Abnegation food there is.<br>I look at her, and then at the food, and she shrugs.  
>"I didn't know what to make. Stew is yummy." I chuckle, and she swats my arm. We eat the stew, and afterwards we lay looking at the roof of the Dauntless compound.<br>It's times like these that I want the passage of time itself to freeze. Times like these when I can forget the demons flying around in my mind, and just revel in the love Tris has for me. I never want these moments to end.  
>"Can I look at the tattoo, now?" Tris nods slowly, and I take off my sweater. I glance down at my forearm, and this time I can't stop the tears. On my forearm are two ferris wheels. They are connected by a figure eight, forming an infinity symbol. I look closer, and see that the loops are formed by words.<br>The top line reads "Through thick and thin" and the bottom reads "Forever&Always". I look at Tris through a haze of tears, and see her half-smiling.  
>"Do you like it? I can get Bud to remove it..." I shake my head. "No, Tris... It's... incredible. I'm absolutely in love with it. With you. Thank you. I can't put into words how much this means to me."<br>I kiss her again, and we lay back. We study the roof of the chasm until I start to doze off, and then we make our way back to our apartment. We shower together, and fall asleep in each others arms.

Tris

When I wake up, it is 7:12 AM. I shower, get dressed, and plop myself down on the couch.  
>I need to cheer Tobias up, but I have no idea how. I could take him on a date, but where to? Maybe have sex with him all day?<br>No. Our relationship is about more than sex. We believe in moments, and spending time together. What else to we cherish? I ask myself, and the answer comes right away.  
>Tobias and I cherish the memories we have of each other. A plan begins to form in my mind.<br>I quickly write a stack of notes to leave around the compound, and I set a stew to simmer. I run to the tattoo shop.  
>Bud looks up from a drawing.<br>"Morning, Tris. Up early, I see."  
>I nod breathlessly.<br>"How fast can you make me a necklace?" I ask him, and he looks at his watch.  
>"Well, I'm actually not booked at all today. I can do it now, if you want." I nod, and he hands me a sketch pad. "Draw out what you want, and I'll put it in the mach-<br>ine."  
>I think. The only symbols that I can think of that represent me and Tobias are the infinity symbol, and... a ferris wheel.<br>Another idea comes to mind. I sketch an infinity symbol, with the numbers 4 and 6 in each loop, and hand it to Bud. He looks at it, and smiles.  
>"He's gonna love it." He puts the sketch under a laser. The laser scans the image, sends it to a computer, and the computer connects to a machine that makes the neck-<br>lace. After the necklace is finished, Bud puts it in a gift box and hands it to me.  
>"No, keep it," I say, and he frowns. I show him the sketch of the ferris wheels, and explain my whole plan to him. Bud's face lights up, and he nods enthusiastically when I finish. "I think that is exactly what Tobias needs. You're perfect for him."<br>I blush, and reach into my purse for my point card.  
>Bud shakes his head. "Nope. This one's gonna be free of charge."<br>I squeal, and hug Bud. My head barely comes up to his chest.  
>"Thank you so much, Bud. I have to go finish getting everything ready. Thank you, so much."<br>"Anytime, Tris." I shake his hand, and run back to the apartment.

Tobias is still asleep when I get back. I finish the stew, and pack a picnic. I quietly set up the clues around the apartment, and then I make my way to the cafeteria.  
>I place my note there, and run to the training room. Then, I make my way to the chasm. It's 3:30 now, and Tobias should be coming along any moment now.<br>Sure enough, I hear his footsteps in the secret passage. I crouch beside the entrance, and when he walks out I wrap my arms around his waist, feeling his muscular torso. Even the simplest touch sends a shock coursing through my body, and I shiver.  
>"Hey," I say. That was lame. He laughs at me, and turns to kiss me. He picks me up and spins me around in the air, and I squeal. I look up at him, and the smile on his face is genuine. I think I succeeded in making him happy.<br>We eat dinner, and he shows the tattoo. When he sees it, he bursts into tears, but I know they are tears of happiness. He thanks me over and over again. After supper, we lay on the rock, kissing and talking. Tobias begins to fall asleep, and I wake him up. We walk hand in hand back to our apartment.  
>We shower, and fall asleep together, happy. My last thought before I drift is that this has been the best night of my life. The only better would be my wedding.<br>And with that, I fall into the world of dreams.


	18. PLEASE ANSWER

So, I need to know one thing? Do you guys want this to be an action packed story? or more of a drama? A lot of fourtris stuff, or more focused on a whole new storyline? Let me know ASAP, because I'm writing a really important chapter and I need opinions.

Like, this is honestly super important, so i'm begging you guys to answer.

Should I make this into an action story?

Should I make a new story, full of drama and Fourtris?

Or should I combine the two in one story?

Please please pretty please let me know guys. It's sooooo important.


	19. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Tobias

I wake in the middle of the night. I look at the clock, and it reads 1:33 AM. About two hours before I had awoken to find Tris gone to Erudite headquarters.  
>The thought sends a spasm of pain through my chest. Thinking about her experience there, how I saw her through a small window when she was being led to her death, rips me apart inside to this day. Even though Peter and I rescued her, I'm still traumatized by almost losing her.<br>That trauma is nothing compared to the pain Tris caused me when she sacrificied herself again for her brother. Caleb, who practically delivered her to Jeanine. Caleb,  
>who betrayed the only family he had left for his own personal gain. I still don't think she knows what she did to me, when I thought she was dead. Or when she was in a coma, and I thought she wouldn't wake up. I don't know which one was worse.<br>The thought of losing Tris still torments me, every second of every day. I blink, and I see her lifeless eyes staring at nothing. When I sleep, I am forced to watch the love of my life die by the hands of multiple people. Usually David, Marcus, or Jeanine.  
>And depsite the pain she caused, and still causes me, I love her. I haven't forgiven her yet, by any means, but I can't not love her. My love for Tris is as natural as breathing, or sleeping. I want to love her, and I do.<br>But, I need to talk to her. I need to really, truly tell her how I felt, and feel, about what she did to me. Both of us have been putting it off for the past month.  
>I sigh, and roll over to Tris. She's not there, again. She's done this too many times to me now, but despite that fact, I still panic.<br>I lurch out of bed, and run into the kitchen. Tris isn't here. I search the entire apartment to no avail.  
>I fall to the my knees, and bury my head in my hands. As the tears begin to fall, I hear the sound of the shower running. Instantly the tears dry up.<br>My emotions these days are like a rollercoaster. I'm beginning to think I have chronic depression. And there's nothing I can do to stop it. I walk over to the bathroom door, and knock. There's no answer, so I knock again. Still nothing. I hammer on the door, and the shower stops.  
>"Tobias?" I hear a muffled yell, and she sounds strained. "Yeah, it's me. Can I come in?"<br>"Of course. Just give me a minute. I'll tell you when to come in."  
>I hear the door unlock, and a minute later, Tris's voice tells me to come in.<br>I enter the bathroom, and Tris is sitting on the toilet. She has a black eye and a swollen lip. Tears are streaming silently down her face.  
>"Oh my God." I rush to her, and I pull her into my arms. She sobs into my shoulder, and I rub her back as she cries.<br>"Who did this to you?" I growl, and she sniffles. She attempts to rub her eye, but when she touches it she shrieks in pain. "I don't know. Some guy dressed in black. He told me that if he tells anybody, he'd kill you. Not me. You." and she breaks down again. I pick her up gently in my arms. "We're going to the infirmary. You need to get checked out." Tris nods, and I sprint to the infirmary.

After I deposit her, and leave her with promises that I'll be back soon, I make my way to the training room. I find a gun, and load it.  
>After checking if the gun works properly, I head to the apartment.<br>I stop outside the door, and put my ear to it, and I can hear someone shuffling around, humming to themselves. I hear a glass clink.  
>I take a deep breath, and burst through the door.<br>I stop in my tracks as I see the man sitting at our kitchen table. He is tall, with shoulder length, black hair. He has piercings all over his face, and icy blue eyes. Tattoos peek out the collar of his shirt, and he smirks at me.  
>"Tobias." He inclines his head to me.<br>"Eric."

**A/N: Okay, so I am officially terrible at writing these kind of scenes. Which is why this chapter is the second shortest yet. **

**So, yeah. Eric's back. Muahahahaha.**

**Can someone, anyone, PLEASE give me tips on how to write action scenes? I was going to make this a fight scene between Tris and a certain character, but I couldn't write it well. I'm just good at Fourtris, and that's that. **

**But for you guys, I'll attempt to write a whole new plot. If it doesn't work out, I'll probably terminate this story. If that ends up happening, I'll keep everything up to this chapter, and just make it a Fourtris story. With somewhat of a plot, but it'll be a lot more drama/romance as opposed to action/adventure.**

**I'll keep trying to write the action stuff for a few more chapters, but I am truly sorry if it doesn't work out.**

**My apologies.**


	20. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Tobias

Eric looks at me with furrowed eyebrows. His face lights up with understanding. The laugh he gives me is cold, routine, emotionless.  
>"I'm not Eric, you fucking idiot. I'm his twin. My name is Axel."<br>So, Eric had a twin. Nice. I frown. "How did you know my name?" He shrugs, and smirks at me. I didn't know it was possible to be more of a douche than Eric, but this guy blows him out of the water.  
>"I have my ways. Do you have anything to drink? I'm fucking thirsty." I sigh, and get him a glass of water. I sit across from him, and study him.<br>"Are you Erudite?" I ask him, and he gives me another knowing smirk, like he knows something I don't.  
>"I guess you could say that, Tobias." I narrow my eyes. "Do NOT call me that." Axel raises his hands in a mock surrender.<br>"Fine, Four. So, I imagine you're wondering why I'm here." I nod, still studying him. This man is more dangerous than Eric was. More ruthless, brutal, and sadistic. "Well. I know that Tris got the shit kicked out of her today." He grins at me, and I lunge across the table. I grab his throat, and his eyes widen.  
>"How do you know that? I swear to God, if you did that to her, I will obliterate you." He manages to shake his head, and I realize that he can't breathe. I reluctantly release him, and he rubs his throat. "Fuck, Four. A guy needs to breathe." "Not you."<br>"What crawled up your ass and died?"  
>"Tell me how you know what happened to Tris. Before I kick your ass back to Erudite."<br>He looks at me, and folds his hands. He rests his chin on them, and I meet his eyes. They're cold, calculating. He's studying me like I'm some experiment. Finally, he answers.  
>"Because I know everything that goes on here. Every single thing, Four."<br>What? "What do you mean?" Axel sighs. "I can't explain it here. I don't have the time. Would you be up to meeting me in the city?"  
>I don't know if I can trust him. After all, he's related to Eric. But he knows who attacked my girlfriend, and if he can tell me, I can trust him for now. I nod.<br>"Good. Take the midnight train tomorrow and get off at Milennium. I'll be under the lima tree. Oh, and bring Tris if she's feeling better." He pushes back the chair,  
>and stands up. He walks to the door, and before he leaves he turns around.<br>"Look. I may look a lot like Eric, sound like him, and even act like him. I even come from the same faction as him. But, I need you to know that I'm not him. I hated my twin to the deepest depths of hell. I'm glad he's dead, and even happier that you're the one who killed him. I guess my point is, I'm not your enemy. Or Tris's, for that matter. I know you don't trust me yet, but I hope you come to. I'll see the two of you tomorrow." And with that, he leaves.  
>I stare at the door for a while after he leaves. Eric has a twin. I don't know why, but I already feel like I can trust him. Even though he's worse than Eric was. And that bothers me. I walk over to the couch and sit down. Axel gave me a lot to think about. The one thing he said that sticks out was "Because I know everything that goes on here. Every single thing, Four." I need to know what he meant by that. Here, as in Dauntless, or here as in Chicago? I shake my head. I guess I'll find out everything tomorrow. I look at the clock, and I realize it's been over an hour since I left Tris in the infirmary. I shower and change my clothes, and making sure I lock the apartment, I head back to the infirmary.<p>

Tris

I let the doctor, whose insists I call her Natalie, give me a physical. Her name sets off the monster of grief in my chest, but I keep it caged for now. She tells me that I have a very small fracture in a rib, but other than a few scrapes and bruises, everything else is fine. She prescribes me some cream to put on my eye each night before bed. "Do you have any idea who did this?" she asks me, and I shake my head. Truth be told, I haven't even thought about it. I was in shock until Tobias found me. "No. All I know was it was a guy, and he was short. He was dressed in all black. The only thing I could see were his eyes." I shudder. I knew the man must have been wearing contacts, but those eyes were the eyes of a madman. The man's eyes were black. They seemed to be bottomless pits of darkness, like Marcus's eyes in Tobias' fear landscape. "Well, I hope you find out. He needs to be punished." She finishes checking my heartbeat, and puts away her stethoscope. "Well, you're free to go, Tris. Just rest a little, and in a few weeks your rib should be fine. I'm not letting you leave alone, though. Not after what happened to you tonight. You can wait in the waiting room for Four." She has her hands on her hips, as if she's scolding me. I nod and smile at her.  
>"Thank you, Doctor. I really appreciate it." She smiles back. "Anytime, Tris. Now, go wait for your boyfriend." I oblige, and sit down to wait for Tobias. When he comes in, he looks troubled. I don't want to bother him here, though. His eyes find me and he pulls me into his arms.<br>He breathes in the scent of my hair and closes his eyes.  
>"I missed you." He says, and I blush. It's only been an hour and a half, but it feels like it's been weeks without him.<br>"I missed you too, Tobias. I still miss you. I'm pre-missing you for next time." And I kiss him gently. After a minute, he breaks the kiss and we leave the infirmary together. We walk hand in hand toward our apartment.  
>"So, what did the doctor say?" he asks me, looking worried.<br>"Surprisingly little." Tobias frowns, and looks angry. I backtrack immediately. "As in, there's not much wrong with me. She said I had a cracked rib, and to rest for a while. Other than that, I just have a few scrapes and bruises. I'm fine, I promise." I squeeze his hand reassuringly.  
>Tobias sighs. "Well, if you say so." I frown at him.<br>"I do. I'm not weak, Tobias. I wish you'd stop treating me like I am."  
>Tobias stops and looks at me. "Tris, right now, you are a bit weak. You just had the shit beaten out of you."<br>I roll my eyes dramatically. I don't know where this flare of temper is coming from, but he isn't helping. "It happens, Tobias. I can take care of myself. Stop treating me like a little girl. I've been through a hell of a lot more than you have in the past few months. I do NOT need you to take care of me!" He looks at me with pleading eyes. "Tris, I just want you to be okay. I'm sorry." I wrench my hand from his and turn away, with my arms crossed. "Are you?" I ask him, and he grabs my arm. "Of course. I didn't mean to make you mad. I just wanted to know if you're okay. Please, don't stay mad at me. I'm sorry." I look at him, and he's chewing on his lip.  
>He looks afraid. I sigh.<br>"I know, baby. It's okay." And I pull him into my arms. We stand there hugging for a while, and then make our way back to our apartment.

After another shower and a quick bite to eat, Tobias and I lay down together on the bed. I trace patterns on his chest while he plays with my hair.  
>"Tobias?" I ask in a small voice. I don't want to cause another fight, but as they say, curiosity kills the cat.<br>"Yes, love?" I smile. I love when he calls me names like that.  
>"When we fought earlier..." I look into his eyes. "You looked scared. Terrified, even. What were you scared of?"<br>Tobias sighs. "I... I was scared of you leaving." He looks ashamed. "You think I'd leave you over that? You think I would ever leave you? Tobias, I'm not going anywhere. Ever." I kiss his cheek. "You're stuck with me."  
>"Oh, joy," he says unenthusiastically, and I smack his shoulder. "No, I don't think you'd leave. It's just... I'm always scared. I'm scared that the happiness you give me is only temporary. And I want it to be permanent. I can't lose you, Tris. Ever."<br>That reminds me of what Evelyn told me, when I confronted her in the factionless section of the city. When I hadn't almost died. When things were nowhere near as bad as they'd come to be.  
>"When we were in the factionless sector, Evelyn told me something." He looks at me, and tenses up. He still hates both of his parents, although I think he hates his mother to a lesser extent than his father. "She told me..." I take a deep breath, and my confession comes tumbling out in a continuous string of words. "ShetoldmeIwasonlytemporaryandshewaspermanent." Pure anger crosses Tobias' face, followed by hurt, and then love for me. "She's wrong. I'd pick you over her any day. You won't leave me like she did."<br>I smile, and hug him. "Yeah?" I say into his chest, and I think he hears the smile in my voice.  
>"Of course. I love you, Beatrice Grace Prior." I can hear the smile in his voice, too. "I love you too, Tobias..." I realize I don't know his middle name. "Tobias, what's your middle name?" He shrugs.<br>"I don't know. I've never really had one." I stare at him. "Do you want one?" He smiles at me.  
>"I guess so." I think about it for a while, and I finally come up with a name.<br>"Tobias Alexander Eaton." He nods, and hugs me. "I love it. Thank you."  
>I kiss his cheek. "I love you, Tobias Alexander Eaton. Now, get some rest. It's been a long day."<br>And with that, my head falls onto his chest. I fall asleep to the sound of his snores, feeling safe and secure in his arms.

**A/N: Sooooo, what do you guys think of Axel?! I just kind of came up with him on the spot, and he fits into my idea perfectly. And the middle name thing... I'm almost positive Tobias' middle name is Marcus, but I could be wrong. And even if it is, it'd make sense for him to change it. **

**So, yeah. This chapter is a pivotal point. Things are going to start getting interesting from here on. And let's say Tris and Axel's meeting will be... interesting. **

**Also, a tad of Fourtris was necessary in my eyes, to lighten up the mood after Tris was attacked.**

**Please review, and expect a new chapter sometime this week. I love you guys. :)**


	21. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Tobias

I open the fridge and grab the carton of eggs, but it's light as a feather. Empty.  
>I toss it over my shoulder, and look in the fridge again. I see an outdated carton of milk, some orange juice, half a head of brown lettuce, and a green-tinged pack of bacon. I snort and shut the fridge door.<br>As I turn around, I hear what sounds like a chainsaw. Coming from the direction of our bedroom. I sneak to the doorway, and stand there. I lean against the doorframe and listen to Tris sleep, as opposed to watching her. Each breath she takes results in an obnoxiously loud snore. I'm surprised she hasn't awoken the entire city by now. Just when I think her snoring fit is over, she breathes in and lets out a ridiculously loud one, and I double over with laughter. She continues to snore, and I sink to the ground, howling. I guess my laughing fit is enough to wake her, because she sits up in bed and scowls at me.  
>"What?" she asks, her eyebrows furrowed. Her hair is a mess; it lays flat on one side and sticks straight out on the other. Her eyelids are half open, and the shirt of mine she's wearing cover her knees, even when she sits down. She looks perfect.<br>I manage to quiet down enough to answer her. "Nothing, love. I just told myself a joke." I smile at her widely. She narrows her eyes at me.  
>"As if. You can't even tell me jokes, let alone yourself." I gasp, and put a hand to my chest. "That hurts, Tris. But... not as much as my sides hurt after listening to you snore for 10 minutes." I turn around and sprint out of the room. Sure enough, a pillow smacks the spot where my head was a few seconds ago.<br>"Tobias! Get back here!" I smirk and run around the corner, into the living room. I dive behind the couch, and hold my breath. I hear her come into the room and stop.  
>"Tobias! I know you're in here!" I hear a smack, and I realize she stomped her foot, which sends me into another laughing. I manage to stop only when I hear her move in front of my hiding spot. Silently, I stand up, and edge my way out from behind the couch. I expect her to turn around, but she doesn't hear me. She must be too sleepy.<br>I rush at her and throw her over my shoulder. She shrieks and pummels my back with her fists.  
>"Morning, beautiful." I say as I carry her towards the bedroom. "Four! Let me down!" she screams, and I use one of my hands to tickle her ribcage, and she erupts into giggles. I toss her into the bed, and lay beside her.<br>After we both manage to calm down, she snuggles up to me and traces patterns on my chest.  
>"So, how did you sleep?" I ask her, and shrugs.<br>"Okay, I guess. It was kind of restless. How was yours?"  
>I smile, and kiss her. "It was perfect. I didn't have any nightmares."<br>She widens her eyes, and smiles. "Really? Why not?"  
>I kiss her forehead, and pull her against me. "You protected me." I murmur against her skin, and she blushes.<br>"So, what are we doing today? I'm actually getting sick of just staying here." Tris sits up and crosses her legs. Almost by themselves, my eyes travel up and down her form, but not hungrily. Lovingly. She blushes again. I reach for her hand and she intertwines her fingers with mine, sending a warm feeling from my hand to the rest of my body.  
>"Well, I think we need to go shopping." I say, and she nods. I continue. "We're officially out of food. There's a grocery store in Dauntless. It's not too far. Go for a shower, and we can go." I stand up and take my shirt off, tossing it to the side. I feel two small hands begin to trace the tattoos that cover my back, and I close my eyes at the feeling. Every time Tris and I touch, it sends a jolt of electricity through me. It's incredible. She stands on the bed so her mouth is level with my ear, and she whispers to me "Do you want to join me?"<br>In one smooth motion, I twist around, pick her up around the waist, press my lips to hers, and walk to the bathroom.

We shower, get dressed, and start our laundry. Tris manages to make us a toast each, and we eat it on the way to the grocery store.  
>"Have you ever been shopping?" I ask her, knowing the answer. She turns to me and shakes her head.<br>"Unless you count Christina buying my clothes and makeup, nope." I chuckle.  
>"Neither have I." She gapes at me for a full minute.<br>"Tobias! We have no idea what we're doing. We didn't even make a list! We're going to forget the most important things!" She throws her hands in the air, and I smirk.  
>She's adorable when she's grumpy.<br>I bring her hand up to my lips and kiss it. "We'll do fine, love. I promise." She crosses her arms and frowns.  
>"If you say so." I just shake my head at her.<br>After another ten minutes of walking, we turn a corner and the Grocery Mart comes into view. I hear Tris gasp, and I can see why. The Dauntless grocery store is one of the largest things I have ever seen. Easily twice the size of the Pit, it holds absolutely everything you could ever need. The only thing the store doesn't supply is weapons, but you can get those at any number of stores around the compound. "It's... enormous," says Tris, and I nod my head. She turns to me. "Have you ever been here?" I nod.  
>"Yeah. I came with Zeke a couple times. But I've never really been shopping." She smiles at me, her anger virtually nonexistent.<br>"Well, there's a first time for everything. Come on." And she grabs my hand, pulling me into the store.  
>We spend hours in the grocery store. Tris is mesmerized, whether by the size or sheer volume of stuff, I'm not sure. Eventually, we remember the reason we came here in the first place, and we buy our groceries. I pay and extra ten points to have them delivered to my apartment.<br>When we get home, I lay down on the couch and turn on the television. Tris curls up in my lap, and I smile down at her.  
>"I love this," I say. "I love moments like this. When we're both just happy, and in love. I'm always in love, but... you know what I mean." I finish lamely. Tris gazes into my eyes, and a corner of her mouth lifts in what I can't help but find a very sexy smile.<br>"You know, Tobias, I may have told you this before, but I love you too. I love every moment we spend together." And she kisses me. Her hands slide around my waist and up my back, one tangling in my hair. I sigh her name, and she smiles into our next kiss. I move my lips to her neck, and she arches into me. I kiss each of her ravens, and back up to her lips. I gently tug on her bottom lip with my teeth, and she moans my name. I flick my tongue, asking permission, and she opens her mouth to let me in. Our tongues dance, a heated, passionate dance of pure lust. Tris breaks the kiss to gaze into my eyes. "You're perfect." And in that moment, my heart goes out to her. I blush, fully crimson, and pull her into my arms. Tris knows exactly what to say to make me happy; she knows how I feel about myself. But when I'm around her, I forget all that, and I see myself in her eyes. I sigh, unwilling to end this moment, but I know I have to. As I'm about to open my mouth and tell her about tonight's meeting, the doorbell rings. I sit up, glad for an excuse to avoid the argument I know is inevitable.  
>Tris and I unpack the groceries, and Tris groans.<br>"We forgot eggs." is all she says, and I can't help but laugh. She glowers at me, and I pull her into my arms. She melts against me, and I sigh.  
>"Come with me. I have something to tell you."<br>And we sit on the couch. I take a deep breath.

Axel

I walk into my temporary apartment (if you can call it that), slamming the door. Before me is a single room. There is a yellowed futon in one corner, a stove in another. The other two corners hold a desk and a sink. There is a small bathroom on the left side of the apartment.  
>"Fucking piece of shit apartment." I grumble, and I take my shoes off. I kick them across the room and lay down.<br>To be honest, I never pictured myself staying in a shithole like this for any amount of time. But then again, I never pictured myself leaving Chicago. And even after I left, I never pictured myself rising to power. I lead the rebellion outside the Fence. The rebellion against the Bureau, against NUSA. And I'm in Chicago on one mission: to recruit.  
>Naturally, Tris and Tobias are my first picks. I know the relationship Tobias has with my enemy, Evelyn Johnson, is strained, and I can use that.<br>The thought causes me to shake my head. I don't remember the time when I stopped thinking of people as people, and turned to thinking of them as tools. Most people think I am young for my position, but in this day and age, the years you have spent on this Earth are just a number. I get off the bed, and walk to the bathroom. I flick the lightswitch, and for once the light manages to flicker on, giving everything the bathroom contains a sickening yellow tinge. I turn on the tap and wait a minute for the water to warm up. I grab a facecloth I brought with me, and wet it. I wash my face, and look in the mirror. I despise what I see.  
>My hair is shoulder length, and black. My eyes are the same blue as an icicle, and my face has multiple piercings. My own gaze causes me to shiver.<br>In other words, I look exactly like my dead twin.  
>At the thought of Eric's death, I smile. I celebrated when I got the news he had been executed, and by none other than the man that is key to my operation: Tobias Eaton.<br>Despite my eerie similarity to Eric, I am not him.  
>In some ways, I am worse. I am ruthless, and cold. I have killed in cold blood. But I feel compassion, and love. And that is where I am better than Eric. I've always been better than Eric. I wasn't the one who smirked before he drove his fist into my face. I wasn't the one who lost myself in the rhythm of destroying my twin's body with a belt. I wasn't him. And that has always been something I have been proud of.<br>I finish washing myself, and change clothes. I change into black, to hide myself in the darkness. I glance at my digital watch. It reads 11:16 PM.  
>I pack up my meager possessions, and pull a package out of my pocket. I set this package in the stove, and leave the apartment without a backwards glance. When I reach a stand of trees about 300 metres away from the apartment, I pull the detonator out of my backpack. I smirk as I watch fire blossom into the night sky.<br>I revel in the beauty of the destruction I have caused. I turn around, for what is hopefully the last time, and make my way to Milennium Park.

Tris

I sit on the couch, a cushion between Tobias and I. I can already tell that what he has to say to me isn't going to be good.  
>I clasp my hands in my lap so they don't shake. I have no clue what he could have to tell me.<br>Is he going to leave me? Or scold me? Or am I wrong about the fact that it's a bad thing? Maybe he'll propose.  
>I shake my head. There's only one way to find out. Tobias sits down, and drags his hands down his face. I look at him expectantly.<br>"After I left you in the infirmary, I had a gut feeling that someone would be in our apartment when I got back. I went to the training room and grabbed a gun. I wasn't planning on letting the man who did that to you live." He has a look on his face that shows the anger he feels, toward my assailant, towards himself for not being able to do anything about it.  
>"I stopped outside the door and listened. Sure enough, I could hear someone inside," Tobias continues, and I gasp. I wonder if it was the same intruder as before, but what Tobias says next answers my question. "I opened the door, and he was sitting on the couch. My heart skipped a beat, and he said my name. My real name. I blinked to see if it was real, and it was. Eric was sitting on our couch."<br>Dread fills my body, and my jaw drops. I don't understand. I watched Tobias shoot him, point blank in the forehead. I witnessed the blood pool on the ground under him.  
>How is it that last night, he was sitting in our apartment. Tears begin to fall, and Tobias wraps me in his arms.<br>"Or so I thought. I said his name, and he shook his head. Once he did that, I could see right away that it wasn't Eric. They were identical, almost to the piercing.  
>But this man seemed more dangerous, more... bad. That's the only word I can come up with to describe him. He swore at me, and told me his name was Axel. Eric had, has a twin."<br>I can't breathe. One of Eric was bad enough, but two? I'm doomed. Tobias is doomed.  
>I stand up, and walk to the window. I cross my arms and hug myself.<br>Tobias' arms wrap around my waist.  
>"Honey, let me finish." I turn to him. "Axel is on our side. He hated Eric. He wants us to meet him by the lima at midnight tonight."<br>I stare at him. Can he honestly be this stupid.  
>"Are you kidding me? How do you know he isn't lying? He could be setting a trap to ambush us. Did you even think about that? About me?"<br>Tobias looks down at his feet and scratches the back of his head, answering my question.  
>"I didn't think so. There's no way I'm going to meet him. I can't. I'm not willing to risk my life again, Tobias. I'm sorry." I turn my back to him, and walk towards our bedroom, but he grabs my arm. I turn to look at him.<br>His eyes delve into mine, begging me to trust him. The look on his face is pained.  
>"Tris, listen to me. I... trusted him. I don't know why, but my gut didn't give me tell me to be wary. I felt like he wasn't lying. And tonight, just this once, I need you to trust my judgement. Please, Tris." Now he is practically begging me, and even if I don't want to, I find myself believing and trusting him. I nod once, stiffly.<br>Tobias pulls me into a hug, and the tension leaves me. He breathes in my scent, his nose in my hair, and murmurs the words thank you.  
>I press my ear to his chest, listening to his heartbeat. It is slow, and steady. It calms me. He pulls away to look into my eyes.<br>"You look exhausted. We have-" he checks his watch. "Three hours before we have to meet Axel. Go have a nap, and I'll wake you up when it's time."  
>I nod. He's right. I can barely keep my eyes open. I look up at him, and stand on my toes to kiss him.<br>"Can you come with me?" I murmur against his lips, and he nods. He picks me up in his arms, one under my knees and the other under my back, and I am asleep before we enter the bedroom.

**So, what did you guys think of Axel's POV? Yay or nay?**

**Chapter 18 will be quite interesting. I didn't know whether to make Tobias keep Axel's identity a secret or not, but it ended up just coming out this way. I may end up revising this chapter and the next at some point. **

**9,000 views. I feel really special.**

**Check out my new story. It's titled "Pain". It's a journal, written by Tobias, starting the day after Tris's death. I may make this into a full story, but I'm not sure yet. Let me know if you like the first chapter.**


	22. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Tobias

I enter our bedroom, and stop dead. Tris is lying in bed, with one arm slung over her eyes, and the other resting on her stomach. Her chest rises and falls easily with the rhythm of sleep. Her blond hair is splayed around her head, and her lips are slightly parted. She looks like an angel.  
>I smile. I don't understand why Tris is in denial about herself. She denies that she's beautiful, and smart, and brave, and everything I wish I was. And she's wrong.<br>I crawl onto the bed, and it squeaks a little, but not loud enough to wake Tris. I position myself above her, and gently poke her ribs. She doesn't move. I poke her stomach. No response. I smirk, and gently press my lips to hers. Her eyes fly open, and she smiles into our kiss.  
>"Good evening, Mr. Eaton," she says seductively, and I tug on her bottom lip with my teeth. She sighs.<br>"Evening, Ms. Prior." She twines a hand in my hair, and the other explores my chest. She runs her hand over my tattoos, and I shudder at every touch. Each brush of her fingers on my skin sends a shock of electricity to my very core.  
>We kiss for what seems like forever, but still not long enough, until I break the kiss and she sighs. "It's time to go, Tris," I say, and the smile slide off of her face like a waterfall. I sigh and wrap her hands in mine. "It'll be okay. I promise." She looks down at the sheets, ignoring me, but I put a hand under her chin, forcing her to meet my eyes. "Why are you so nervous?" I ask her, and she looks everywhere but at me. After a while, she answers.<br>"I... don't know, Tobias," she says quietly. "Just the thought of Eric scares me. All of... everything began with him. I was constantly scared that one night I would wake up to the roar of the chasm, and hands gripping me, seconds from throwing me to my death. And I know that Eric is dead, but seeing his twin... I don't know what it's going to do to me. I'm just overreacting. I'm sorry." Tris bites her lip, holding back tears, and I press my lips to her forehead, then lower my eyes so they meet hers. Or try to.  
>"Tris, listen to me. No, look at me." She is still avoiding my gaze, and I need her to look at me when I say this. Her eyes finally meet mine, and I continue. "I don't think you understand who you are. You are without a doubt the bravest person I have ever met. You put me to shame. You can overcome any obstacle, and even if you can't you'll face it anyways. You have nothing to be afraid of, Tris. You're strong." She smiles and kisses me.<br>"Thank you," she whispers against my lips, and I hold her for a few seconds before sighing and standing up. "Get ready. We need to catch the train in 15 minutes." She nods, and meets me at the door a few minutes later. Together we walk to the train platform.

Tris jumps on the train first, and I can't help but stare at the way her muscles ripple beneath her clothes. How flawless her form is, now natural it comes to her. She disappears into the car, and I keep running beside it. She pokes her head out, sticking her tongue out at me, and with a burst of speed I jump into the car and knock her over. I jump on her and pin her arms down above her head.  
>"Gotcha," I whisper in her ear, and I attack her sides with my fingers. She giggles and screams, begging me to stop, and eventually I give in and roll off her. She lays beside me and props her head up with an elbow. She looks beatiful. Her hair flows just past her shoulders now, and her eyes speak volumes. It's as if her heart is in her eyes, and I'm sure I look the same way.<br>"I love you." We both say it at the same time, and our eyes widen simultaneously. We both laugh and blush, also at the same time. I close the distance between us and crush my lips against hers. We stand up and walk to the door of the car. We stand side by side, one of us each gripping a rail. My other arm is around her shoulders, and hers is snaked around my waist. The wind blows her hair around, but she ignores it, staring into the night sky.  
>"How much do you love me?" she asks, and I turn to her.<br>"How high can you count?" She shrugs and I smile. "I want you to imagine the whole Earth is covered in water. No land, no civilization, not even life. Just a sphere of water." She screws her face up, trying to conjure the image in her mind, and nods. I continue. "I want you to count every single droplet of water that would be in that sphere. And multiply it by ten, for four and six." She can't comprehend the size of the number. Which is good. "That number, whatever it may be, is the smallest part of how much I love you. There are no words to describe how much I love you, Beatrice Prior." Tris blushes and stares up at me. I lean down and kiss her, putting one of my hands on her cheek. I break away, and look at her grinning. "Same question." Tris thinks about it for a while. After a few minutes she brightens. "Remember when we were on the net, talking about space and stuff?" I nod, and we both smile. We close the distance between us for yet another kiss. "I told you that the universe is always expanding. That, Tobias, is how much I love you. With every second of every day, my love for you increases. I will never not love you; it's impossible." I look into her eyes, unable to find words. Tears well up in my eyes, and for once, I do not care if she sees me cry. Because these are tears of joy. I pull her into my arms, and breathe the scent of her in. She smells like coconut. It soothes me when I'm agitated, calms me when I am angry. Her presence is enough to make me forget about everything that troubles me. I hold her for the remainder of our train ride, until the train begins to slow in front of Millennium Park.

Tris

I follow Tobias as he leaps out of the train, landing in a somersault. I land on my feet and keep running, landing smoothly. I stop to catch my breath, but I know that the reason my heart is racing has nothing to do with the jump from the train. I feel Tobias' fingers lace with my own, and despite the situation, I smile. We turn towards the giant lima tree statue, which is located across the giant expanse of grass, and begin to make our way towards it. My heart reate increases with each step we take. It's almost like he can hear my heart, which I wouldn't doubt, because he asks me if I'm okay, and I nod. "Yeah, I'm fine. I promise. Let's just get this overwith."  
>As we approach the lima, I can make out a figure pacing beneath the rusted leaves. The closer we get, the more detail I can make out. I notice his shoulder length jet black hair, the piercings in his face, the tattoos peeking out from the collar of his black jacket. The last thing I notice is how ridiculously similar he is to his deceased twin.<br>As soon as we reach the tree, I look at Axel's eyes, and at once I can see that this man is not Eric, no matter how much he may look like him. Axel's eyes hold more pain and hurt than any humab should ever have to endure, and I flinch as gaze lands on me. Tobias and I stop, with about ten feet between the two of us and Axel.  
>He nods to Tobias. "Tobias. I knew you'd come." Tobias nods, not saying anything. Axel's gaze shifts to me. His eyes travel up and down my body, not greedily, but assessing me. They are calculating, and colder than the deepest reaches of the Arctic we learned about in Upper Levels. "You, I weren't so sure about." And in roughly one and a half seconds, he closes the gap between us, so fast that I barely notice until he is standing directly in front of me.<br>I meet his gaze, willing myself not to flinch, and he says four words to me, the four words I needed to hear most in that moment. "I am not Eric." And he spins on his heel, pacing again. Now I can see that this man is more lethal, more dangerous, than Eric could ever dream of being. When looking to his eyes, I see things other than pain and sadness. I see intelligence, logic, and a hint of compassion. The urge I am now realizing I had, the urge to hit him, has disappeared. Axel paces in front of Tobias and I, and we are quiet until he speaks. "I guess I'll delve right into it," he says, which strikes a chord of worry within me. He stops pacing, and faces us. Axel takes a deep breath before speaking again.  
>"Your whole lives, up until a couple of months ago, you were taught that the factions had always been here, they were the only way to live. Correct?" I nod, feeling like a student being taught by an Erudite teacher. I guess technically I am. "When you arrived at the Bureau, David peeled this away. He told you that the faction system was placed here to right the wrongs that human nature supposedly caused. He informed you of the Purity War, a war between the citizens who were genetically damaged, and the ones who weren't." I feel Tobias stiffen beside me. The terms "genetically damaged" and "genetically pure" still set him off. With obvious effort, he keeps listening. Axel continues. "And David told you that what we call the Divergent were people whose genes had healed. He wanted an army of Divergents." How does he know all this? Axel glares at me, and I realize too late that I said that out loud. With a roll of his eyes, he keeps speaking. "I called the two of you here tonight because I know I can trust you with this information. There are no cameras that can see or hear us here, and what I am about to say does not leave this spot. The two of you can not speak of it. If you feel you have to, pass notes or something. Not a word is to be spoken about this. Do you understand me?" I look at Tobias, and the two of us nod.<br>"That is a lie. A blatant, disgusting lie. In fact, the truth is the exact opposite." He pauses, to let this sink in. And it does. "So.. what are you saying?" I'm not surprised that my voice is unsteady. Tobias hasn't spoken at all. "I'm saying that the point of the Chicago experiment, the point of us, was to breed an army of people who were susceptible to mind control. An army of people who could at any moment be put under a simulation. This city is a war camp."

**Haha... plot twist. And cliffy. Hope you enjoyed it!**


	23. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Tobias

A weight drops into my stomach. It's familiar, now. It is the feeling of being lied to. Lied to by your parents, and then your girlfriend, and now the government you didn't know existed up until a couple months ago. David lied to us. The city is not an experiment to heal the genetically damaged, and to control our nature. It is a breeding facility. We were placed here to create an unstoppable army. And we have. "How can they control us?" I ask Axel.  
>He sighs. "When a child is born in Chicago, they are given a 'flu shot.' It's supposed to stop you from getting sick while you're a baby, and it's supposed to stop working after two years." I nod. I remember my parents and fellow Abnegation talking about the flu shot. "Well, think again. The 'shot' is a serum, a lot like the one Jeanine gave to the Abnegation, that can put them under a simulation. It's in your body for life. It won't mutate, or decrease. It just stays there, and can be turned on at any point in your life. There's a small group of people the serum can't affect though.<br>I know the answer before he says it. "The Divergent. For some reason, depending on the strength of your divergence, you can be resistent to serums and simulations."  
>Axel turns to Tris. "You are the second strongest Divergent they have ever seen. You got three factions in your test, correct?" Tris nods, and blurts out a question before he can continue.<br>"Who's the first?" Axel smiles at her. "Me." Tris gasps, but I'm not surprised. "The aptitude test didn't even work on me. I sat there, expecting something to happen, but nothing did. I must be all five factions." "Jesus..." Tris murmurs. Three was virtually unheard of, four a myth, but all five factions? It seems impossible. A thought crosses my mind. "Is that why the Divergent are killed?" I ask Axel, and he nods. "Yeah." I can hear the coldness in his voice, and I wonder who he lost. "They," he spits the word like a curse, "don't want anybody to resist them. Well, I did. I still do. And I have quite a few people with me." The anger in his voice speaks volumes. Tris reaches out and lays a hand in his arm. I stiffen, expecting him to hurt her, but he doesn't. "Who?" she asks him, and he turns to us. Tears are brimming in his eyes, and his voice breaks when he answers. "All of us. Except Eric. He 'took care' of me, even though we were the same age. He's better off dead anyways." Axel turns away and walks to the lima. Tris wraps her arm around my waist. I start towards him, to comfort or to confront him, I don't know, but Tris stops me. "Give him some time, Tobias." I realize she's right, and we sit down on the grass. "This is... a lot to process" says Tris, and I snort. "That's an understatement. This is... outrageous. And the thing that pisses me off the most is that there's not a single fucking thing we can do about it." My anger comes unexpectedly, but Tris must expect it. She hugs me. "It'll be okay. I promise." I hold her until Axel walks back to us. He is composed now, his face a mask of unemotionlessness.  
>"The Divergent are the only people who can provide resistance to the government," he says, continuing where he left off. "Therefore it makes their... cause easier if the Diverent mysteriously disappear and are proclaimed dead."<br>"So, how did you make it past them?" I ask, and he chuckles darkly. "Wasn't the easiest thing to do. I left when I was twelve. I made my way to South Dakota, another state in NUSA. The people there were all Divergent. Every single one of them. And they took me in, and I rose to power there."  
>I wonder what he means by power, but Tris asks my question for me. "Power?" she uses the word as if she doesn't know what it means. Axel sighs again. "This brings me to the reason I'm back here at all. I lead the resistance against the NUSA. The fight to keep our minds our own, and not the tools of a select few who feel they have the right to control us. My organization is simply called the PR; the People's Resistance." Tris looks confused, but my heart is sinking down to my feet with each word he speaks. "So, what do you want with us?" I close my eyes and my hands close in fists. I was hoping she would have the sense not to ask that.<br>"Look, I, uh... I'm not good with this kind of thing. But, I... We... need you out there. We need you to help us finish this once and for all. We want to take down the head of government, the President, and establish a faction system in the entire country. But our goal isn't to control the population. The faction system will be an option, available to everyone, if we succeed. If you so choose, you'll be able to live alongside those who are like you. But you will also be able to live with the other people, too. We want a free system of government, recognizing no official leader. If we get our way, a rep from each of the 50 states will meet biannually in the capital of the country and discuss what needs to be discussed. And frankly, that can't happen without the two of you."  
>He looks at us expectantly. "Why us? Why not two other Divergents?" My voice shakes. "Because the two of you are... different. Tobias, you're barely even Divergent, but you can resist serums and sims even more strongly than I can. You're also quite the leader. We need you out there, fighting. And Tris, you're the same. The two of you together are an unstoppable force. I don't expect you to answer right now, but keep this in mind. The NUSA government is planning to activate the serum two years from today. They want to send the army overseas. And I can't let that happen. We can't let that happen. And I know you feel the same way. When you're ready, call this number." He hands us a slip of paper, with a phone number on it. "And that's all I have to say. I hope you make the right choice." And Axel turns and sprints towards the train tracks. I stare at the slip of paper. Emotions are warring inside of me; anger, hurt, hate, and the feeling that we have to do this. I look at Tris, and she grabs my hand.<br>"Not now. We have ages. Let's go home." I nod, too conflicted to speak, and together we catch the train. Axel is nowhere to be found.

Tris

My mind reels as we ride the train back to Dauntless in silence. I wonder if Axel knows what it's like to find out your whole existence has been a lie, and once you begin to accept it, you find out that what they told you was also a lie. I doubt it. I know that Tobias and I are safe, because we are resistant to serums and simulations. I am resistant because of my Divergence, but nobody knows why Tobias is resistant.  
>My mind flashes back to the moment Matthew told us that I am "genetically healed" and Tobias was "genetically damaged". To Matthew and I, they were just words. It meant nothing to me that my genes were different from Tobias'; he and I were still the same people we were the day before, and a week ago. And we would be the same people the next day. It meant a lot more to Tobias. He felt as though he himself were damaged, but damaged is an improper term. Being different does not mean something is wrong with you.<br>And the "flu shot"... Anger rushes through me at the thought that someone wants to mind control an entire population, simply for personal gain. It makes Jeanine seem like a schoolyard bully. I know that we have to stop this. I have no idea what lies outside the borders of our country, but I imagine there are other people, other cities. People just like us,  
>people who have the right to live. And to take that away from them is... monstrous. I vow to myself to stop it. With Tobias by my side. I turn my head to look at Tobias, and his face is about an inch away from mine. It's close enough that I can feel his breath on my face. It is warm, and smells like the peppermint I used to sprinkle in my tea every night in Abnegation. I look into his eyes, and I see worry. Worry for our city, our friends, but mostly worry for me. No concern for himself. And I see pain, pain that I feel like I can't take away from him no matter how hard I try.<br>"Are you okay?" I ask him. He still never talks about how he's feeling, and I know it's hard for him, but I still wish he would. I want to help him, steal whatever is bothering him. I want to take away his pain.  
>He presses his lips against my forehead and murmurs "Yes." I'm not convinced. I grab his face in my hands and force him to meet my eyes, but his eyes flicker away, and that's how I know he's lying. Every person has a tell, a way to tell when they are lying. Mine is biting the inside of my cheek or my lip. Tobias' is not meeting my eyes. "Talk to me, Tobias. Let me in," I ask him, and he shakes his head. "Not now." Which means never, in Tobias' world. I cross my arms and huff. "Fine." I stand up from where Tobias and I were cuddling on the floor of the car, and walk to the door. I grab one of the handles and lean outwards so the wind ruffles my hair.<br>I could jump out now, and get rid of all my worries. My guilt, my pain. But I can't do that to Tobias. Tears begin to leak down my cheeks, and I step away. I wrap my arms around myself, and try to hold in the sobs threatening to rip free of my throat. I hear Tobias get up and tentatively walk toward me, and I'm torn. I don't really want to talk to him right now, considering he barely talks to me, but I also need the safety of his arms.  
>He stands a few feet behind me and clears his throat. "Tris?" he says my name carefully, like he's afraid, and I imagine he is. I wish he would believe that I will never leave him. I wish a lot of things. I turn to him, and he must see the pain in my eyes, because he flinches, and his face becomes Four. In moments like these, I wish Four didn't exist; I wish Tobias was the only man I loved. But I love Four, too. "Just hold me," I murmur, and he pulls me into his arms. I release my breath, and I feel like a weight leaves my shoulders. He kisses my hair and strokes it while I bury my face in his shoulder, but he says nothing. And neither do I. We don't need to. We stay that way until the train slows, and it's time to jump off.<p>

We jump off the train together, landing on the roof where I began my journey into Dauntless. I can see Tobias visibly tense up, because of his fear of heights. We still say nothing as we jump and fall together. We roll off the net, and make our way to our apartment. I unlock the door, and walk in. Despite the tension between us, I still smile at the feeling of walking into a place I can call ours. I slip off my shoes and walk into our bedroom. Tobias follows me, and goes into the bathroom. I doubt he actually has to go; he just needs to clear his head. I change into a pair of men's boxers and one of Tobias' shirts. I pull the collar up to my nose and inhale the scent of him. It makes me feel safe. At that moment, Tobias emerges from the bathroom in a pair of black sweats. It's odd seeing him in sweat pants; I'm used to black shirts, jeans, and combat boots. They look good on him, though. Everything looks good on him. I don't look at him as I lay on my side of the bed and get under the covers. I hear him sigh, and feel him lay down beside me. Almost instantly the spark of desire ignites inside me, but I suppress it. This most definitely isn't the time. Tobias sighs again, and I keep my own sigh internal. "Tris, please look at me," says Tobias, and his voice is thick with emotion. Sadness, maybe. I turn to him. His head is propped up on two grey pillows, and the blanket is pulled up to just below his bellybutton. He reaches out a hand and caresses my face. My eyes close at the touch. "I'm sorry," he mumbles, and despite the fact that he's apologizing, my anger begins to smolder again. He shouldn't have to apologize, because he should be talking to me. "For what?" I play dumb, and he groans. "Don't be like that. I'm sorry for not talking about my feelings." I nod. "That's better," I say sarcastically. "Any idea why?"  
>He looks at me. "Because it's hard for me to put into words. I feel scare, scared of what our future holds. Scared of losing you. I feel angry, angry at whoever thinks mind-controlling an entire city is okay, angry at Axel for peeling another layer of lies away. How do we know that he's telling the truth, and this isn't another god-<br>damn lie? I feel torn between staying here, and doing what's right and leaving. I'm just a jumble of emotions. I'm sorry." He looks away, and I see tears in his eyes,  
>and my anger at him melts. Now I just feel bad. I snuggle up to him and kiss his neck softly. "Hey," I murmur. "It's okay. I get it. I just... want you to open up, Tobias. I want to help you deal with whatever's in-<br>side. I want to be there for you, but I can't exactly do that if you don't talk. Do you at least see where I'm coming from?" I know he does, but I still have to ask.  
>"Of course," he says, and kisses my forehead. "I just... for 18 years, I kept my feelings and emotions inside. I hid them behind a shield of gray clothes and selfless-<br>ness. I never trusted anybody, until you came into my life, and it's just hard to adjust to trust." Oh. It's hard for him to trust me. Something inside me deflates, and I roll away from him. I need to get away, be alone. "I'm going to shower," I say softly, and stand up, but his arms wrap around my waist and pull me into him. He sighs again. "Tris, that's not what I meant. It isn't hard for me to trust you. It's actually surprisingly natural. I just find it hard to go from being a closed bottle to an open one. But, I promise you I'm trying, and I think I'm starting to do better. For example, I'm open right now, aren't I?" I nod, and he's right. I can't imagine how hard it must be for him to just... open up. It takes time to adjust, and I need to wait for him. I sit up and press my lips to his. "Just give me time, okay?" he asks, and I nod. He smiles, and butterflies erupt in my stomach. His smile is the most beautiful thing in the world to me. "I love you, Tobias." I always feel the need to tell him that. Before I went to Erudite, I took it for granted that we loved each other, and didn't feel the need to say it. But now, after almost losing each other, I realize that those three words are something that needs to be said as much as possible. Love is something that should never be taken for granted. "I love you too," he tells me, but I already know. It's still nice to hear him say it. "Come here." I pull his arms around my waist, and turn so my head is buried in his shoulder. I wrap my arms around him, and trace the tattoos that are now perfectly cemented into my mind. His hands gently explore my body, running up and down my back and front. His touch leaves a trail of warmth, but it is not sexual. It's a loving touch, gentle and sweet. Eventually, I fall asleep in his arms, and dream of a world free of corruption.

Axel

I walk away from Tobias and Tris and jump on the first car of the train. I slam my hand into the button, and the doors slide open with a hiss. It took me a while to get the hang of getting on and off trains, but now I do it almost effortlessly. Just like everything else Dauntless. When I left Chicago, and ended up in South Dakota, the people there had an astounding technology. They had developed serums that gave you the traits of any of the five factions. I still have no idea how they accomplished the feat. They offered me the choice, and I immediately rejected every faction except the Dauntless serum. I knew that to survive in this world, I had to be brave. I had to know how to defend myself, and how to face my fear. And so I took the serum. I am two parts Dauntless, and one part every other faction. If the President got her hands on me, I can't imagine the "tests" she'd do on me.  
>I couldn't bring myself to tell them who the President of NUSA is. It wasn't the right time. The two of them had already had their lives cut open and rearranged twice.<br>Especially Tobias. And the fact that Evelyn Johnson, or as she is known outside Chicago, Erika Golding, Tobias' own mother, is the one plotting the demise of everything he has come to know and love. I sigh, because I know that I'll have to tell him eventually. But it honestly pisses me off that this shit has to be put on the two of them.  
>I scream into the wind, and pull a gun from my pocket. I empty the clip outside the train, the bang of each bullet lost in the roaring wind. I hurl my gun out when it is empty, disgusted with it. It's not fair. Why can't the world just be normal, instead of full of lies and deceit, corruption and greed?<br>I shake my head. Nobody knows the answer to that question, except maybe God, if he exists, which I've doubted for a long time. I grab a railing with each hand and let the wind whip my black hair around my head. I lose myself in the exhilaration of the train ride, and only when it slows do I move. I watch as Tris and Tobias jump off, but they don't look for me. Wordlessly, the couple dives into the Dauntless compound. It's twisted that just as the two of them find a home together, I'm obliged to take it away from them. It's for the best, but, it's still fucked up. I ride the train until it reaches the fence, and get off. I walk to the demolished building I parked my truck behind, and start the engine. Without a backward glance, I drive toward the place I have come to know as home.

**Sorry for the shitty Axel POV part.. I have a hard time writing him, and I dunno why. But, yeah. Evelyn is the president, and they have to kill her. That won't happen for a long time, though. I think I'm gonna write a couple more chapters of Tris and Tobias life, and then fast forward a bit. I'll write a chapter or two somewhere around the one year mark, and then fast forward to when they leave. Otherwise, the story would be way too long and it would get a bit boring. **

**Check out my other stories, Pain, and my brand new one, Reverse. let me know what you think.**


	24. NOT A CHAPTER - Please Read

Okay, this is the third fucking time I type this, because somehow it keeps deleting itself.

This isn't a fucking chapter. It's just a few things I feel need to be discussed.

Don't talk down about my story, please. This is the first thing I've ever written. Telling me I'm unoriginal isn't really helping me, and considering I came up with the whole plot for this, and a few characters, by myself, I think you're wrong.

NUSA is NOT my own creation. It was created, as far as I know, by Windchimed, and was used in her story Determinant (which is incredible. Read it.) I take NO credit for the New United States of America; full credit goes to Windchimed, and if she'd like me to remove it/rename it, I'll gladly oblige.

That being said, I used NUSA for two reasons. The first being it makes sense to rename a country after multiple wars tore it apart. The second is that it fits perfectly with my story, and for that matter, the original Divergent trilogy. It just works for me, but I can easily change the name if it's too much of an issue.

Now onto the second point of this update

A few unclear things/inconsistencies

1. Peter took the memory serum. To be honest, when I wrote that chapter, I forgot that he took it. But for the purposes of this story, he didn't take it. You'll see why I need Peter to be the old Peter later on.

2. Axel. He's quite mysterious so far, so I'll clear him up.

Axel and Eric are/were identical twins. They were born into Erudite. They lost their parents when they were really young, and they were handed from relative to relative until they ended up up in an orphanage, where Axel stayed until the age of 12 and a half.  
>During their childhood, Axel was just better than Eric. I can't think of any other way to put it. He was smarter, nicer, more attractive. The only thing Eric did better was fight.<br>Eric used this to his advantage. Out of jealousy, he beat Axel every day, until the day Axel left Chicago.

I have no clue if this is true, or if it's been previously used, but in my story, the Erudite take a pre-aptitude test at twelve years old. When Eric took his, he got an Erudite result.  
>Axel got all five factions. And he left, because he knew this wasn't supposed to happen. When living out side the fence, Axel witnessed countless murders, and tons of graphic violence. It scarred him, physically and emotionally. He made his way to South Dakota. The population of South Dakota are all Divergent, whether it be for two factions or all five. This is the result of an experiment that is identical to the experiment in Chicago, but it succeeded for some reason the NUSA government still can't figure out. When the South Dakotans found out they were an experiment, and Divergent, they quietly started a revolution. But somehow, they were found out, and their leader was murdered.<br>At the time of the murder, Axel had been in South Dakota for almost 4 years, and he had risen to a position of power. When the leader of the People's Resistance was killed, he was elected the new leader. And for the last two years, he's been spying and gathering information. That's pretty much it.  
>He looks like Eric because he found it convenient. He got all the tattoos, piercings, etc.<br>One last thing. The South Dakotans felt that they should continue the faction system, even after they found out it was a lie. They developed serums that replicated the traits of each faction, and Axel took the Dauntless one. It made him deadlt in combat, brave, courageous. All the traits of a Dauntless member. He came to Chicago to recruit Tris and Tobias, because he needs them to help overthrow the NUSA government. In two years fron the day the three met, the NUSA are planning to blow up South Dakota. They need to finish their task before then.

So, yeah. Hope that clears up everything, and if you notice any more inconsistencies, let me know and I'll do my best to fix them.

That's pretty much it. I hope you guys enjoy my story. Also, check out my other stories. Reverse, and Pain. Review! 


	25. My Sincere Apologies

I'm sorry.  
>I really am. It's been a while since I updated anything, so I'm posting this on all three of my stories. I've been crazy busy, with Christmas and studying for diplomas and relationship and blah blah blah. I know it's a lame excuse buuuuuuut I'm giving it anyways. I'm having an incredibly hard time writing anything at all lately. Every time I try I just come up blank. I've hit the deepest ditch of my short author's career so far and it's difficult to get out of. Please, please, please give me tips on how to overcome writers block.<br>Also, if you have any ideas or you want to see anything happen in my stories, please let me know. I'd gladly use your ideas and give you full credit. Lastly. It'd be such an incredible experience to co-write a story with one of you guys. If anybody is up for writing a story with me, PM me and we can definitely talk about it.  
>So, yeah. one of my many New Year's resolutions is to get back on track with my fanfictions. I also have yet another one in the works, a modern day with a bit of a TFioS twist (but it's not exactly the same.) If you want a sneak peak at the first couple chapters, I'll show whoever wants to see.<br>Again, I'm so so so so soooooooo sorry for not updating in forever. Please forgive me. 


	26. Chapter 20

**WARNING: This chapter contains sexually explicit material. Viewer discretion is strongly advised. **

Chapter 20

Tobias

I don't want to get up today. I just want to lay here, in Tris's arms, and forget everything Axel told us last night. But we can't do that. This isn't something we can just ignore, and wait out in Dauntless while it passes over our heads. This is life or death. The fate of the world is in our hands.  
>I open my eyes and stare at the roof of our bedroom. It's black, just like everything else in my apartment. I've been tempted to paint something on it, but I haven't really been able to find the time, considering my girlfriend almost died and all that good stuff. Maybe Tris and I can paint it together. I make a mental note to ask her about it later. I feel her stir in my arms, and she groans. She stretches and yawns, and I smile. She's so adorable when she wakes up. I kiss her forehead gently. "Good morning, gorgeous," I say, and she squints up at me.<br>"Morning, handsome," she replies, and gives me a sleepy half-smile. She yawns again and rubs the sleep out of her eyes. Her yawning must be contagious, because I yawn too, and soon we're yawning together every two minutes. (A/N: I literally yawned when writing that line.)  
>I lean in as if to kiss her, but instead I rub my nose against hers, and she smiles. I melt inside every time Tris smiles. "Did you sleep alright?" I ask her, and she shrugs. "Meh, okay, I guess. I was kind of restless. How was your sleep?" I sigh. "The bit that I got was okay," I lie, because it really wasn't. But I don't want Tris to worry over nothing. After Tris fell asleep, I lay awake for hours, thinking about our bad luck. It seems like we'll never be able to just live a peaceful life together, and I hate that. I just want to make Tris happy, and it's hard to do that when you're constantly fighting a war. She frowns at me. "Are you okay?" she asks, and I nod. "Yeah, I just had a bit of trouble sleeping. I'm fine." And I lower my lips to hers to reassure her.<br>After kissing softly, we lay there wrapped in each others arms, not moving or speaking. We savour the moment, because in our lives, who knows when we'll get another one like it? "Tobias?" she mumbles against my chest. Even the feel of her lips on my chest sends a shiver of desire down my spine, but I supress it for now. "Yes?"  
>"I love you." I smile, and she looks up at me. I look into her eyes and lose myself in the pools of piercing grey. I feel safe in those eyes, like nothing could ever hurt me. And I know that it's true because Tris wouldn't let anything hurt me.<br>"I love you too, Tris." I kiss her cheek, then her nose, her forehead, her other cheek, and her chin before gently pressing my lips to hers again. I don't continue the kiss, instead letting our lips linger. Just the feel of her lips on mine is enough for me.  
>"Can we just stay in bed today?" I ask her, and she nods enthusiastically. "Yeah, I don't really feel like doing much. Maybe we can watch movies or something." She sounds hopeful, and I can't really deny her that. I want to spend quality time with her too. I look down at her and grin. "Sounds like a plan. But, let's shower and stuff first. Care to join?" I smirk at her, and I can see the lust enter her eyes. Wordlessly, she grabs my hand and practically drags me into the bathroom.<br>*WARNING: SEXUALLY EXPLICIT MATERIAL. SKIP AHEAD IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT*  
>She close the door behind us, and slams me against it. She crushes my lips to hers, hard enough that it could almost leave a bruise, and a guttural moan tears from my throat. She moves her lips to my earlobe, nibbling on it for a few seconds before giving me hickeys all across my neck.<br>I moan the whole time she's kissing me, and eventually she makes her way back to my lips. She my lower lip, hard, and we moan each others names. I lift her arms up, and she flings the shirt she was wearing into the shower, but I don't really care. I have more shirts. I lift her up and she wraps her legs around my waist. The only thing separating our bodies are my briefs and her lingerie bottoms. I suck and bite on her neck, and she arches into me. She tangles her fingers in my hair, and I moan. "Mmmmm... Tobiassss..." she whispers, letting me know she wants more. She jumps onto the ground and fumbles with my underwear before getting them off. I am still pressed against the door, and I reach up to grasp a hook made for bathrobes as Tris kisses her way down my body. I moan as she french kisses my navel, and places one hand on my thigh. She wraps one of her hands around me and I gasp. She uses one hand to gently cup my balls, and the other grasps my member. She licks up and down me, and I tangle my fingers in her hair. She looks up at me, and winks. While she's staring into my eyes, she takes me into her mouth, and it takes everything I have not to finish right away. I groan as she gently sucks me off, gradually increasing the pace. She takes a deep breath, and when I think she's finished, she takes every inch of me into her mouth. I can feel myself hitting the back of her throat, and she makes a gagging sound before taking her mouth off me. She attacks me, and my knees get weak as I feel myself nearing the edge.  
>Right before I unload, Tris stops completely and walks over to turn the shower on. She takes her shirt out and chucks it in the laundry hamper.<br>I, meanwhile, slump against the door, trying to catch my breath. She turns around and looks at me. "Something wrong, honey?" she asks, and I stare at her like she's crazy. "I... What... Wow." I manage to get out, and she laughs at me before taking her underwear off and beckoning me towards her. I manage to find the strength to walk over to our shower, and get in with Tris. She reaches for the bar of soap, and we lather each other with it before rinsing off.  
>I let my hands linger on her body, touching every inch of her. I can't get enough; she's like heroin to me. I close my eyes as she turns me around and traces the tattoos on my back. She wraps her arms around my waist and hugs me tight. She kisses the scars on my back, and I shudder.<br>Luckily, our shower has a small bench opposite the shower head, because in moments like these I wouldn't really know where else to go. Tris turns me around and kisses me harder than she ever has before. When she finishes and sits down on the bench, I'm gasping for air. She smirks at me oh so sexily and spreads her legs. I get down on my knees between her smooth legs, and kiss from her neck to her breasts. I knead one while I nibble on the other, and then switch.  
>After a few minutes of that, I kiss down to her womanhood, and give her a hickey on each thigh before gently flicking my tongue against her nub. At the contact, her back arches and she gasps my name, which turns me on even more. I insert two fingers into her, and gently suck on her clit until she comes undone, screaming my name as she presses my face to her. After she comes down, I crash my lips against hers. She murmurs an "I love you" against my lips, and I look into her eyes. I have no words for this moment, so I try to put all my emotions in my gaze. It must work, because tears well up in her eyes.<p>

Tris

I feel tears build behind my eyes as Tobias and I look at each other. He's trying to convey his emotions with his eyes, I think because if he talks he'll get emotional,  
>and it works. I pull him close and hold him, letting the hot water run over us.<br>I out my mouth by his ear and whisper to him.  
>"Make love to me, Tobias." He pulls back and looks at me in shock. I've never really been this bold before, and his reaction is priceless. I turn him around and push him onto the bench, but not forcefully. Gently. This isn't frenzied sex; it's passionate love making. And I love every second of it.<br>He sits on the bench, and I straddle him. I look into eyes as I guide him into me. We gasp together as he fills me completely, like we are made for this, and maybe we are at that.  
>I press my forehead to his and cup his face with my hands as he sets a slow rhythm for us. We kiss softly while we make love. I scratch his back, and he moans my name.<br>I can feel myself approaching the edge again, and I beg him to go faster.  
>"Mmm... Tobias... Oh my GOD... Harder... Faster!" I manage to gasp out, and he obliges. Just as I reach my orgasm, I feel him swell and empty himself into me. I scream his name, and he releases a guttural moan. We stay like that for a while, catching our breath, before he slides out of me and we stand up. I hug him, pressing my ear to his chest so I can hear his still racing heartbeat. He wraps his arms around me and burys his face in my hair. I don't know how long we stay like that; all I know is the water starts to get cold, and we get out. We wrap towels around ourselves and walk out of the bathroom hand in hand.<p>

Tobias and I both slip on a pair of sweats and matching T-shirts; his says "hers" and mine reads "his", both in huge block letters. I love them. I kiss his cheek as we walk into the kitchen. "What do you want to eat?" I ask him, and he thinks about it for a second.  
>"How does mac and cheese sound?" he decides, and I nod my head. "Sounds good to me." Tobias walks to the cupboard and pulls out a pot, filling it with water while I dig for a box of macaroni and cheese. Whether it be in the kitchen, in combat, or life in general, Tobias and I are a team. We do everything together, helping each other out when one of us needs it. We're always there for each other, and it's incredible. I set the water to boil, and we take seats across from each other at the kitchen table. Tobias reaches for my hands and brings them up to his lips. "I love you, you know," he whispers against my skin after kissing each knuckle on my hands. I'm already blushing, but his words make it even worse.<br>"I know. I love you." He looks into my eyes and leans across the table. He grabs my face in his hands, effectively melting my insides, and presses his lips to mine.  
>The kiss sets my body on fire and I respond enthusiastically until he pulls away. Tobias sighs and looks around the room, avoiding my eyes. I know that he's going to bring up the fact that we have two years to live our entire lives, two years before we jump headfirst into another war we know could kill us. "Stop." The word comes out of my mouth before I even register it crossing my mind, and Tobias looks at me. "What?" he asks, and I repeat myself. "Stop. Don't say it.<br>Not now." I can't do this now; I can't do this ever. I wanted to live my life normally, become a wife and eventually a mother, babysit my friend's children and have them do the same for us. I want my life to last a lifetime, not two years. "Tris, we have to talk about this," he says, and I know he's right, but I just shake my head and run my hands through my hair. "I can't," I manage to get out, and I leave the room. His footsteps follow me as I sit on the couch. He sits beside me carefully, as if he's unsure if I want him there, and I do. I want him there forever; I want time to stop while I curl into his side and kiss him and run my hands over his tattoos and through his hair. "Tris." He says my name gently. "Please, look at me." I look around the room before meeting his eyes. I don't know what I expected to see, but anger wasn't on the list.  
>He's angry. I don't know why, or what I did to tick him off, but he's mad at me. "Listen to me," he says quietly, and it scares me a bit. I will myself not to shrink back, because I can't be scared of him. It would destroy him completely if I was afraid of him. It's not him I'm scared of; it's his anger. "I'm listening," I say, my voice a monotone. "You freaked out on me for not opening up, not wanting to talk, just last night. You accused me of not trusting you, which hurt. And now you're turning around and doing the exact same thing. It's not fair, Tris. Please talk to me."<br>His eyes are pleading now, and I realize he's right. I'm being a hypocrite. I look down at my feet, shame burning my face. "I'm sorry," I mumble, and he wraps his arms around me, pulling me into his chest. "It's okay, love. It'll be okay."  
>And I break down. I cry my eyes out, and Tobias leaves. I think he's gone for good, left me forever, but he comes back a minute later. "Oh my God. I'm so sorry. I justt went to shut the water off, I should've said something." I shake my head at him to tell him it's alright, and he nods before pulling me close again.<br>"I don't want this to end," I mumble, and he looks confused. "Tris, this will never end," Tobias replies, and I shake my head. "Don't say that. You know how easily one of us could get shot or stabbed. And then that's it. I don't want this to happen, Tobias. I want to live my life with you, and be your wife and have your kids. I want to be normal, for once in my fucking life." I pause, and look at him, and he's staring at me in awe. "You... You want to marry me?" He mutters, as if he can't believe it. I can't believe that's all he heard out of my speech. "Of course. I want you officially be mine." I kiss him, and he pulls away. "I want to marry you too, Tris." Oh my god. He's going to propose. Oh my god oh my god oh my-  
>Tobias stands up, and smirks at me. "But you, Miss Prior, are going to have to wait until I think of a perfect way to propose." I cross my arms and pretend to pout, and he lifts me up and cradles me to his chest. "I just don't want to lose you," I tell him, and he stops rocking me. "Beatrice Grace Prior, I promise you that you will never have to be without me." He sets me down,<br>and stares down into my eyes. "Okay?" I stare back and shake my head before replying. "Okay."  
>He furrows his eyebrows. "What?" I realize I'm still shaking my head, and I stop quickly. I sigh and reach out, running my hand down his face. He closes his eyes at the contact. "You just have no idea how incredible you are to me, do you?" His eyes open,<br>and he stares down at me. "No, I don't. Would you mind telling me?" And in this moment, I know that he's right. Everything will be okay, in due time. "In due time, Tobias. In due time."

**A wild Quinn updated!**

**I felt as though I owed you guys big time for not updating in forever, so I just wrote. I had half a chapter written already, and this just came out. It gave me the idea for the name change. I admit it's kind of just a filler, but it's an update nonetheless. And a longer one at that. **

**The next few chapters will be jumping forward in time, a month or two here and there. I'm not gonna spend time detailing every minute of Tris and Tobias's lives, because a) I don't have the time, and b) I don't really want to. **

**There'll be less than ten chapters before the two years is up, and then shit's gonna hit the fan, hard. Until then, though, it'll mainly be fluffy and cute, taking the impending doom off of everyone's minds. **

**I have a Biology diploma coming up, so I don't really know when the next update will be. I'm sorry. **

**Thanks for reading. **

**PS. Please, don't complain about the sexually explicit content. It's rated M for a reason, and it takes a click to skip over. There'll be more to come, but not an overabunance. **

**I think that's all.**

**So um, bye, I guess.**


	27. Chapter 21

Chapter 21 (One month later)

Tobias

I take a deep breath and stare at myself in the mirror. I notice every detail about myself, my hooked nose, my cold eyes, my Dumbo ears. I hate how I look. I hate me.  
>Despite that, exactly a month ago, Tris confessed that she wants to marry me. She said it, outright. There's nothing else she could've meant, and as far as I can tell,<br>no hidden meaning. You can do this, Tobias, I think to myself, and I know I'm right. Not only am I capable of doing this, but I have to. And I want to. It took a month of double dates with Christina and Will, and occasionally Zeke and Shauna, to figure out how to propose to Tris. It's the cutest thing I can think of,  
>and I know it'll make her happy. I just hope I don't screw it up. Before I know what I'm doing, my phone is in my hand dialing Zeke's number. He picks up on the fourth ring. "Zeke Pedrad."<br>"Zeke, it's me." He sighs. "Are you having second thoughts?" What?  
>"No, no. I'm more sure about this than anything." "Well, what's the problem then?" Fuck. He's so stubborn. I groan. "I just don't know if I'm doing this right. Be honest, Zeke. Is this proposal gonna suck?" There's silence on his end for a few seconds before he answers. "Do you want my honest opinion, Four?"<br>"Yeah."  
>A pause. "I think it's perfect. I wish I could propose to Shauna the way you're going to propose to Tris. You'll do fine. Do you wanna go over the plan again?" I nod, waiting for a few seconds before I realize he can't see me. "Oh, yeah. Walk me through it one more time." "Okay. First, you're going to take Tris to that cozy little diner by Millenium. Correct?" "Yeah, and I'll make sure to buy her the most expensive-"<br>Zeke laughs. "God, Four. That kind of shit doesn't matter. By the end of the night, she won't care about what went in her mouth, only about what's about to-"  
>"Zeke, that's fucking gross. Can we continue with the plan?"<br>It takes him a minute to calm down, and he continues. "Then, you're gonna go for a ride on the Ferris wheel. I'll be at the bottom, making sure everything's running okay."  
>"You better be," I grumble under my breath.<br>"What was that? You want me to stay home? Okay, I can definitely-"  
>"Zeke! This isn't a joke." He's really infuriating sometimes. But at least he's talking to me. Zeke and I have been distant since they pulled the plug on Uriah, but I think he's starting to forgive me. He cares enough to help me propose to Tris, and that means the world to me.<br>"Earth to Four. Stop dreaming about tickling your girlfriend's pus-" His cussing snaps me out of my thoughts. "Zeke, enough."  
>"Okay, okay. I'm sorry. Anyways. After the Ferris wheel ride, I'll follow you two lovebirds to the skating rink, and hide in the bushes. You'll skate a bit, on your shoes,<br>and then 'fall down' and land on top of Tris, all cute and shit. When you land on top of her, you'll roll her over and pull out the box at the same time. She'll say yes, and scream and I'll be filming the whole time. Sound good?"  
>I sigh. "Yeah, it sounds good. Listen, Zeke.. I just want to tell you how much I appreciate this, especially from you of all people. I know we had a tough time, and I'm really glad you're trying. Thank you."<br>The line is silent for a few minutes. Finally, Zeke speaks up. "You know, after Uri died, I thought I'd never forgive you. I thought I'd hate you for the rest of our lives. But I was wrong. Now don't get me wrong, I despise what you did, Tobias. I loathe that. But that doesn't make me hate you. I can't hate you, man. You're like a brother-" he chokes on the last word "-a brother to me. And I'll always be here, anything you need. I got your back, bro."  
>I can feel tears burning my eyes, and I know he's feeling the same way. "I'm... glad, Zeke. I gotta go. I love you, man. No homo." He chuckles before replying. "Love you too, bro. No homo. And good luck. Text me whenever you're ready." He hangs up. I put the phone in my pocket and run my hands through my hair.<br>Zeke's right. Everything will be just fine. I'm overreacting. One thing Zeke said in our conversation sticks in my mind as I shower and get ready to wait for Tris. "I wish I could propose to Shauna the way you're going to propose to Tris." I hate that partially because of me, Zeke's relationship will never be normal. He'll never be able to do the things Tris and I do, and I don't even know if Shauna can have kids. I ruined his life, and he still found it within himself to forgive me and continue being my best friend. I can't imagine how hard it must be to look me in the eye every day. Zeke is one of the strongest guys I've ever known. And me? I'm weak, pitiful, compared to him.  
>I step out of the shower and wrap a towel around myself. I spend an hour looking at all my clothes, finally picking out my normal Dauntless attire: black T-shirt and pants,<br>accompanied by a black belt, black socks, underwear, and black combat boots with (oddly) silver buckles. Just as I finish putting my deodorant and aftershave on, I hear the door to our apartment, and Tris's voice announcing that she's home. I take a deep breath before walking outside to meet her.

"Toooooobias. Tobias. Tobiassssss." She says my name over and over, begging me to tell her our plans for the evening, but there's no way that's happening. Tris and I are walking down the road towards Milennium park, and I can see the cafe lights in the distance. "Please tell me. I won't kiss you until you do." It's an empty threat. I know she couldn't go an hour without kissing me. And frankly, I feel the same about her.  
>I look down at her. Large snowflakes have settled in her blonde hair, and they twinkle each time we walk under a streetlight. She wears a dressy black coat, paired with black leggings and grey knee-high winter boots. In her ears dangle the diamond earrings I bought her for Christmas, which was two weeks ago, making today January 8th. Our engagement date. "Tris, I would love to tell you, but there's a reason I can't. I promise you'll have a great time, trust me. Okay?" I hold her hand in mine, and give it a reassuring squeeze through our mittens. Our mittens are the type where you put four fingers in one compartment, and your thumb in another, so we can't interlock our fingers, but I think it's cuter this way.<br>I think Tris does, too, because she blushes and a piece of her hair falls onto her face. Almost automatically I tuck it behind her ear, and her face deepens to a crimson color. I chuckle. "You're so cute when you blush." She is; she's breathtaking. The way her eyes light up when I talk, how she shudders when I touch her face. The way her breath catches when I kiss her. She's perfect. She shakes her head. "You're cute all the time." I laugh and bend down to plant a kiss on her cheek. "I love you, Beatrice." She raises an eyebrow. "Beatrice? You can only call me that on special occasions!"  
>I chuckle softly. "Exacly. Well, my dear, we have arrived. After you." I hold the door open for her as we enter the small cafe. The place is so warm and cozy, I couldn't help but bring Tris here. There's a fireplace on one wall, and dotting the area are numerous spots for couples to eat dinner,<br>a few of which are taken. I lead her to the table in front of the fireplace and pull her chair out for her.  
>Almost immediately after we take a seat, a waitress bustles over to our table and asks us what we'd like to drink. I order a coffee, and Tris asks for a hot chocolate.<br>I hand her a menu, and she scans it thoroughly. She looks confused and glances up at me. "What's a... 'poutine?'" She pronounces it like poo-teen, and I smile at her. "Poutine. It comes from a place called Canada. It's fries, gravy, and cheese. I've never had it, but Will told me it's fantastic." At that moment, our waitress walks to our table holding a notepad. "Ready to order?" she asks us sweetly, and I gesture for Tris to go first. "Ummmmm, I'm gonna try the poutine, please." The waitress jots it down and smiles.  
>"Great choice. And you, sir?" I think about it for a second. "Make that two poutines, please." She nods and rushes away to prepare our dinner. Tris sips her hot chocolate and stares at me. "So, where did you find this place?" she asks.<br>"Exactly right here," I reply smartly, and she sighs dramatically. "Oh, Tobias. You know what I meant."  
>I nod. "You love me. Well, actually, Will told me he took Christina here a couple times. He said she loved it, and I figured you would, too."<br>"Well, you were right. I adore it. We have to come back here." "We will. I promise." At that moment, the waitress arrives with two delicious-looking plates of poutine. She sets one in front of each of us, and my mouth waters at the smell. The waitress, Kathy, (I read her nametag), notices our looks and laughs. "Is this your first poutine?" she asks, and we both nod. "Well, all I'll say is it's better with ketchup. Enjoy, you two." She walks away to order drinks for a couple who just came in. I eye my food and glance at Tris, and she's already devouring it. She moans, causing me to stir a bit below the belt. "That good?" I ask her, and she replies. "Mmmm... yeah. Try it, Tobias," she says with her mouth full, and I oblige. I squirt ketchup all over my poutine and cautiously take a bite. Oh my God. This is amazing. I eat bite after bite until my plate is scraped clean, and I'm wiping my face with a napkin when Kathy comes to grab our plates. "So, how was it?" she inquires, and before I can speak, Tris pipes up. "Um, perfect. Glorious. Incredible." Kathy laughs at Tris's enthusiasm. "Well, tell you what. Since you liked my food so much, this one's on the house." I open my mouth and close it. That must've been a thirty point meal! (A/N: In my mind, one point is equal to one dollar, so yeah.) Before I can protest, Kathy holds up a hand, balancing our plates and mugs in the other. "Don't bother. You guys deserve it. Stay in love, and try to stay young. It's worth it." And with that, she makes her way to the kitchen. I turn to Tris, and her face mirrors mine. "Well, okay. That works. Shall we?" She nods, and we walk out of the restaurant. A city bus happens to be parked at the bus stop a block away, and we hop on. I swipe me point card, and the bus driver tells me it'll be about fifteen minutes to the Ferris wheel.  
>Tris and I take a seat about midway down the length of the bus. I wrap my arm around her shoulders and pull her close. "Thank you," she says, and I kiss her forehead. "Of course, love. It's my pleasure." She lifts her head up and I gently press my lips to hers. "So, where to next?" she asks, and I shake my head. It's incredible how stubborn she is. "Well, I guess it won't hurt to tell you the next part. We're taking a ride on the Ferris wheel." Tris almost jumps out of her seat at this. "Oh my God, Tobias. You're incredible." She kisses my cheek, and I turn my head so our lips meet, and by the time we break apart we've arrived at our destination and the doors hiss open. I thank the driver as we exit the bus and make our way to the wheel. Zeke is nowhere in site, but my phone vibrates with a text message. I read it, and it says -4. Can c u. Get in wheel.<br>I shake my head. How people understand Zeke's text lingo is beyond me. I lead Tris to a seat, and when we sit down, I reach under and pull out a blanket I had Zeke plant for me. She stares at it like it has two heads or something before looking up at me. "I know I already said this, but you're incredible." I kiss her cheek and we sit in silence until we reach the top of the wheel. Oddly, the height doesn't bother me anymore. I guess I must be Three now. I make a mental note to go through my fear landscape sometime in the future. I look down, and notice Tris's feet sticking out of the blanket. One of the buckles on her boot has come undone, and I smile as I lower myself to one knee in front of her.

Tris

My eyes grow wide as Tobias gets down on one knee in front of me. Oh my God. Oh. My. God.  
>This isn't happening. No way. My breath rushes out and Tobias looks at me funny. I look down to see him buckle my boot, and something inside me deflates. "Tris, are you okay?" he asks, and I nod. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just thought.." What do I say? How do I tell him I badly want him to propose, to make me his fiancee, and then his wife, without hurting him? Tobias looks at me expectantly, and I flounder for a lie. "I thought the blanket was going to fall." I offically win the award for lamest excuse in history. Ever. He pulls me close, and it takes a lot of willpower for me not to shy away. I can't let him know he hurt me, not while our date is going so well. "I love you, Tris," he murmurs, and it makes me feel a little better to hear that. I return the sentiment, and before we can say anything else, our seat has reached the bottom of the wheel. "I wasn't scared," Tobias blurts out, and I stare at him. He continues.<br>"I expected the same thing to happen again, my heart rate to skyrocket, my chest constricting, hyperventilation, but it didn't. I just.. wasn't afraid. I guess I'm three now." He grins at me, and I hug him. "Tobias, that's incredible. Do you want to make sure, though?" I can tell he knows I mean fear landscape, because his eyes harden and he steps away from me. "Eventually. Not now, though. We have one last stop to make before we go home. And no, I'm not telling you this one." I laugh. "You know me so well," I tell him, and he doesn't reply, just takes off running in the direction we came from. So he wants to race. "Tobias, that is so unfair. Wait till I catch up!" I take off after him, and jump on his back when I reach him. I expect him to trip, or at least stagger a little under my weight, but he just continues like nothing happened. I scream as he barrels towards Millennium Park. "Tobias!" I manage to get out, and he stops abruptly. "Yes?" he says, and he isn't even out of breath. I, on the other hand, can barely breathe. "You're crazy," I tell him as I slide to the ground behind him. "Only about you," he replies, and I feel my cheeks redden. I look around us, and I realize we're at the skating rink. A thin layer of snow covers the pond, gradually thickening as it perpetually falls from the sky. I turn and look at my boyfriend. "Tobias, this is amazing. I... don't have words. Thank you." And despite being in public, where anyone could easily see us, I press myself to him and crash my lips to his. I run my tongue along his lip, begging for entrance, and he lets me in. Our tongues dance a passionate dance, and I tug on his lip with my teeth before pulling away enough to look into his eyes. We're both breathless as I stare into his eyes. "I love you," we whisper at the same time, and we both blush. I wrap my arms around his waist and lay my head against his chest. We stay like that for a few minutes before I hear a bird chirp.  
>What? A bird chirping in the middle of winter is rather odd. We learned in Upper Levels that most birds migrate south for the winter, to stay warm and have babies. Tobias steps back, and before I can comment on the bird, he says "Let's go skating," and pulls me to the pond. We don't have skates, but Tobias doesn't seem to care. He rushes onto the ice and within seconds falls flat on his face. I fall to my knees, clutching my side as I try to catch my breath from laughter. I hear his voice, muffled by snow. "Tris, come on! It's fun!" I shake my head and slowly make my way onto the ice. Tobias manages to make his way to me, and by the time he reaches me, we're both covered in snow. I throw some in his face and he spits at me playfully. He stands beside me, and grabs my hand. "I want to try something," he says, and I nod. "On three."<br>"One."  
>"Two"<br>"Three."  
>And on three, he slides me around his body and spins me so I'm facing him. We travel a few feet, but all of a sudden my feet slip and I'm falling, pulling him with me. I close my eyes, expecting his weight to land on me and crush me, but nothing happens. My eyes open, and he's holding himself up on his elbows so his face is inches from mine. We're close enough that I can feel his breath on my face. "That was fun, eh?" he says, and I laugh shakily. "Well, I thought I was gonna die," I reply, and he pretends to pout. "Is that a fat joke?" Tobias jokes, and I put a hand over my mouth. "No, Tobias, of course not. You're perfect." He shakes his head, and smiles a little bit. He cocks his head, studying my face. I want more than anything to kiss him right now, but something tells me I should wait. Female intuition, maybe. "Can you do something for me, Beatrice?" Tobias asks me, and I nod. What could he want me to do? "I want you to close your eyes, and don't open them until I say so. Promise me you won't look." "I, Beatrice Grace Prior, promise you, Tobias Alexander Eaton, that I will not so much as crack my eyelids open unless you otherwise command me." He chuckles.<br>"God, you're weird. Now, close them."  
>I oblige. I close my eyes. I can hear him moving around above me, fidgeting. His breathing rate is fast. I hear a bus drive by the park, and a gentle wind rustles the trees. A pile of snow falls and hits the ground. I can feel his breath on my face, and before I can register anything else, He is flipping me over so he's under me, and I'm on top of him. I keep my eyes shut, until he whispers, "Open your eyes, Beatrice."<br>I do. Tobias is lying underneath me, a small smile on his face. I meet his eyes, and my gaze travels to his chest, where in his cupped hands rests an open black velvet box.  
>Nestled inside this box is a band of gray and black. An unmistakeable engagement ring. I sit up, so I'm cross-legged between his legs, and cover my mouth with my hands. Tears brim in my eyes as Tobias begins to speak the words I've wanted to hear since his hands pulled me from the net in Dauntless an eternity ago.<br>"Beatrice Grace Prior," he begins, sitting up so he can look me in the eyes. "When you jumped into my life, I had plans to leave. I was ready to become factionless, to live a life of poverty and hopelessness. Because I was hopeless. I had no hope, no reason to live anymore. Until you came into my life."  
>He cups my face with one hand, the other still holding the ring. "As soon as I laid eyes on you, I changed my mind. Your eyes, your determination and strength, your sheer selflessness and incredible beauty, drew me to you. I had never been attracted to anybody before that day, and I instantly fell in love with you.<br>And since then, we've both grown. You changed me, from a hard, emotionless rock into a man capable of love, something I never thought I'd do. You turned who I thought I was upside down and inside out, and I can't tell you what it means to me.  
>I've almost lost you too many times, and I can't imagine ever having to lose you for real. I want you to be mine, Beatrice. I want to protect you, day and night. I want to spend the rest of my life with you. Beatrice, will you do me the incredible honor of becoming my wife?" He's kneeling before me now, offering me the ring, and tears are streaming down my face. I take the ring wordlessly, and slip it on my finger.<br>"Yes," I whisper, and the smile on his face is something I wish I could see every second of every day. "Oh my God, Tobias, yes. Of course I'll marry you." He lifts me up and spins me around, kissing me and hugging me so tight I begin to see spots.  
>"Can't breathe," I manage to get out, and he sets me down. He cups my face in his hands, and before he can kiss me, I crash my lips to his. We spend what seems like forever standing in the middle of the pond, kissing and hugging. Finally, we pull apart, and he looks at me with utter love in his eyes. "Thank you," is all he says, but in those two words, a thousand emotions are conveyed. We stare into each others eyes, losing ourselves in love.<br>Our trance is broken by a slow, steady clapping, gradually getting louder. I turn around, and none other than Zeke Pedrad is making his way toward us, clapping and grinning at Tobias. "Zeke?" I ask, and he stops. "What are you doing here?" He looks at Tobias, and Tobias nods. "Filming," Zeke replies, and I'm confused for a second.  
>"Film... Oh. OH." That, is the best possible thing Tobias could have done. His entire proposal was caught on tape. Tears spill over again, and Tobias wipes them away. He holds me, until we hear Zeke mutter "shit".<br>No. No fucking way. There is no way Zeke forgot to hit the record button on that goddamned camera. He looks up at us sheepishly, and backs away before speaking. "If I, um, forgot to hit record, on a scale of one to Eric on a good day, how mad would you be?" We slowlyt advance on Zeke, and he looks more afraid by the second. Tobias answers him first. "I imagine that was rhetorical, but I'd be a solid ten. Tris? I imagine she's about three or four hundred." Zeke stops and straightens. "Well, good thing I did record it, then." I walk to Zeke and slap him. "That is not fucking funny. Well, okay, maybe it is, but still." Tobias chuckles, and so does Zeke. I giggle, and before we know it, the three of us are rolling in the snow laughing. "Well, congratulations, you two," Zeke tells us as we make our way to his car. "I knew for a long time that this would happen. I'm proud of you both. You two can have the back seat."  
>I slide into the back seat of Zeke's car, and Tobias sits beside me. Within minutes, I'm falling asleep, and the last thing I hear is Tobias tell me he loves me. I attempt to tell him I love him too, and thank you for such an incredible night, it was perfect and I can't believe you proposed, but I'm too far gone.<p>

**So, there it is. Fourtris is engaged! I know it was a bit lame, but I have a harder time writing as Tris than as Tobias. Also, this is the longest chapter yet. Thanks for reading! **


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